Overcast
by shortie990
Summary: Third part in the Snowflakes Trilogy. Alex and Piper are a family now and life for once is going good for both of them. They are happy, really happy. But not all good things can last for too long. What happens when one of their own falls ill...will they be able to survive as a family unit or will the threads of their family be stretched too far? Breaking them apart...yet again?
1. Prologue

Do not own Orange Is the New Black or any of the characters.

This wasn't supposed to be posted for a while, but I just wanted to see what people would think before posting the rest of it.

* * *

**Overcast**

**_Prologue_**

_Loved_

_May 2024_

The room was dark except for the light that hung over the side of the bed. She was supposed to be sleeping...Tomorrow was a big day. But no matter how many times the nurse came in and told her to close her eyes, she couldn't.

Her eyes kept on fluttering open.

She couldn't sleep.

She wasn't exactly scared about tomorrow. She had already gone through surgery once before. It wasn't anything really to be scared about. It was just like going to sleep she found. There were a few nervous butterflies though fluttering about in her tummy, but she wasn't scared. Not like the boy who had shared the room with her last time. He had cried as they had taken him down to the Operation room.

No...Issy wasn't scared.

She just could never sleep when she was here. She hated the stiff mattress of the hospital bed. She hated the smell of the room and the constant activity coming from the hallway as people came and went- mostly the nurses with their squeaky running shoes.

Issy let out a deep breath as she sat up in the bed and crossed her legs. She was a little light-headed as her brown eyes looked around the room and at the pictures displayed on the walls. Mommy had said that decorating the room would make it more like home.

But this wasn't home, thought Issy to herself.

Home consisted of her own room which didn't have machines that hummed and beeped at all hours of the night. Well, there was the laundry machine at home that was really noisy, but Momma Alex was fixing that, or so she had said. Issy doubted that she had though.

Momma Alex and Mommy had been spending all their time with her, here. There was no way Momma Alex could've fixed the laundry machine when she was always here.

Everyone's attention had been put on her, lately.

Never before had she seen adults break down and cry until now. Yes, she had seen Mommy cry before, but not like this. She was always sad now. Which, Issy didn't like. Mommy had been _so_ happy before she had gotten sick. She had married Alex, and they were having a baby.

Everyone _had_ been happy.

But now everyone was sad. She had _even_ seen Auntie Nicky cry. She'd only ever seen her do that once before, but that's when Baby Luca had been born. Mommy had explained that those had been tears of joy for Auntie Nicky and Auntie Lorna because they were mommies now. Mommy said she had cried when she had been born too.

Baby Luca was cute, thought Issy.

He cried a lot, but that's what babies did. She didn't remember much of when Grayson and Hayden had been born- those were Daddy's other kids, her brothers. But she figured they must've cried lots too. They still cried sometimes. The only baby she could think of that didn't cry was Eli. She remembered the time that Mommy had watched him for Auntie Polly and Uncle Pete for the day, he had just slept and pooped.

And she figured that the baby that Mommy was carrying now in her stomach would cry too. She was most excited about this baby, though. For not only would it be living with them, but it was her sibling. And it was a girl!

Issy was tired of all the these boys. She was happy that it was a sister she was going to have- _a little sister_.

The six-year-old couldn't help but smile at the thought.

She had always wanted a little sister to play dress-up and such with. She was tired of playing those stinky boys games like power rangers and cars. She didn't mind getting dirty and such. Auntie Nicky had always taught her she could do whatever boys did. However, sometimes she liked to do what girls did, too. Mommy and Momma Alex tried their best to play with her. But grown ups weren't that good at playing, she found. Mommy never got the voices of characters right or understood the games she came up with.

And Momma Alex, she was still learning...but that was okay, thought Issy. She was good at other things like cooking, she made really good pancakes. Better then the ones that Auntie Red made, but don't tell her that! Auntie Red doesn't like to hear things like that. She takes pride in her cooking...and we wouldn't want to upset her, that's what Mommy tells her.

Momma Alex was also really good at telling stories and was a really good colourer!

She loved Momma Alex.

And Momma Alex _loved_ her.

You didn't _just_ give anyone you liked a kidney...you really had to _love_ them to give them your kidney. That's what love was, thought Issy. And that's what Momma Alex was doing for her.

Tomorrow, she would be giving Issy her kidney because she _loved_ her.

* * *

So I know you people are probably wondering where the hell I am going with this and don't worry, I do have a plan! So I hope some people will stick with me but I do understand that some might not want to read this...it won't be an easy read but...yeah.

Thanks for reading.

Julie


	2. Chapter 1

Do not own Orange Is the New Black or any of the characters.

Thanks everyone for your reviews and support the first chapter got. I know many of you had questions and such, but I promise all of them will be answered as the story unfolds.

* * *

**Overcast**

**_Chapter 1_**

_Beginnings_

_May 2022_

Alex smiled broadly at Piper as they stood together outside of Piper's apartment building.

They were just ending their third date together.

"I had fun tonight," whispered Piper as she took a step towards Alex. Her hand reached out and touched Alex's forearm. She gently squeezed it as her blue eyes pierced into Alex's.

"Me too," replied Alex as she looked down briefly to where Piper's hand was resting on her bare arm before glancing back up and meeting her eye.

The two women continued to stare at each other for a moment as a comforting silence fell between them. Neither wanted to say goodbye. Ever since the wedding, they had been taking it pretty slow. They were both afraid of rushing headlong into things, considering all that had happened last time. Yes, they were both scared and wary of starting over- yet again, but at the same time, they didn't want anything else.

There were finally no secrets between them.

It was a fresh start.

Alex slowly licked her lips as she slipped her hands around Piper's waist, pulling the blonde closer to her. The heat of their bodies could be felt through the material of their clothes as they stood there pressed tightly together. Their eyes lingered on each other for a second before their mouths crashed together with passion.

"Issy isn't home," whispered Piper between kisses. Since this moment, she had been holding herself back, but she couldn't take the waiting any longer. Her body craved sex. It craved sex with Alex. She didn't want to have to wait...

"Larry has her."

Alex pulled slightly away from Piper at this, so she could see the blonde's face better in the light. She had an eyebrow cocked in surprise. "Pipes," she whispered. As much as she wanted it, she wasn't sure if it would be such a good idea to come upstairs with Piper. It was still really early in the relationship, she thought.

However, Piper had different thoughts on the matter as she brought both her hands up to Alex's cheeks and held them there. She smiled at Alex before once again pulling her into a kiss.

"I want this," she murmured into Alex's ear.

She knew that Alex was scared, and so was she. But there wasn't anything to be scared about really... This was Alex, the first and only woman she had ever loved. She trusted her and wanted to be with her, not only emotionally, but physically.

She was ready to take that step.

And she wanted to.

Alex still continued to hesitate, even as she felt the heat of Piper's soft lips against her own. The blonde's touch was rougher this time, sending a wave of warmth immediately through her. This was Piper, she thought. She loved her. She didn't know exactly why she was hesitating with being with her. It had only taken her 2.1 seconds to jump into bed with Wren.

But she hadn't loved Wren. Not like she loved Piper.

Piper had always had her heart. Even after all the years they had been apart. Even after all the hurt and pain they had both caused each other.

She would always love Piper.

"Okay," she found herself whispering as she pulled away from the kiss and stared straight into Piper's face.

"I want this too."

A wide grin spread across the blonde's face at hearing this. She quickly pecked Alex on the lips before taking ahold of her hand and leading her into the apartment building.

* * *

_January 2024_

Despite the cold, grey overcast sky above her head, Alex Vause had a skip in her step.

She knew it sounded fucking cheesy and lame, but she couldn't help it. She was just so fucking happy with her life at the moment, which was an emotion she hadn't really believed she would ever experience again, really. A good portion of her life had been spent either being pissed off at herself or the whole world.

Or both, sometimes.

She had figured she didn't deserve to be happy at one point in her life. She hadn't had the easiest of childhoods and had been a pretty angry adolescent. It wasn't until she had gotten into the drug cartel that she felt like she'd found her place. She had thrived as an importer. Finally, she was the one calling the shots in her life. She had been so fucking happy during those first few years...she had met Piper...she had made her extremely happy...she had been the only other person she had truly loved in her life, except for her mom.

But nothing good in life ever lasted. Or at least not for Alex. She always managed to mess things up in some huge clusterfuck way, or maybe life just had it out for her. She still hadn't figured that one out yet. But she guessed that's how everyone felt at some point in their life. That hopeless feeling that shit wouldn't get any fucking better.

And for a good ten years or so, Alex had thought and felt that hopelessness. That she'd continue to live in an endless darkness until her death. However, she had finally found her happiness.

And it was with Piper again.

Alex adjusted her glasses on the bridge of her nose as she came towards the house.

Her house.

She couldn't believe that she was a property owner again. She had never thought the day would come when she would have a place that she could call her own.

After Litchfield, she had thought she would forever be living in Nicky and Lorna's attic while she worked her ass off as a maid. But life had quickly flipped itself around in that first year of being out. She had not only gotten back together with Piper, but she had quit her job at the hotel. She had worked for her cousin in Buffalo over the few months she had been there. But once she moved permanently back into the City, she had gotten a job working with Nicky and Lorna in the small floral shop they worked at. Alex didn't know anything about flowers or arrangements, but she had quickly learned the basics of it. She found it to be a nice change from doing laundry. It was where she worked currently, but as the manager of their newest location.

She did love the business side of things and being in charge, again.

Alex slowly walked up the stairs of the front porch and reached for the keys in her back pocket. She then quickly unlocked the door and stepped inside the house.

As she closed the door behind her and placed her bag down on the floor, she heard movement from the kitchen.

"Hey," cried out Piper.

A grin spread across Alex's face at hearing her wife's voice. And the other thing she couldn't get over was that she shared the house with Piper. They had lived together so many years ago now, in different countries and cities over the world, but never had they owned something together like they did now.

"Hey," Alex called back as she walked down the hallway and stepped into the kitchen of the old brownstone.

Piper turned away from what she was doing and smiled over at Alex.

The two women didn't say a word to each other as they continued to gaze at one another.

Piper was a sight for sore eyes, thought Alex as she allowed her eyes to travel down her wife's body. Piper was dressed in a white t-shirt, yoga pants and a chunky knit cardigan. Her hair was short again like it had been in Litchfield. There was no makeup on her face, and she was barefoot. There was nothing obviously sexy about Piper's state at the moment, but Alex found that she couldn't keep her eyes off of her. She had never been more beautiful and attractive to Alex then she had been over the past five months as she grew with child.

Alex had never really appreciated the beauty of a woman's body when it was pregnant until now.

"Ah, barefoot and pregnant," murmured Alex as she closed the space between them. Her hands immediately reached out and touched the growing bump that was Piper's stomach. "Just how I like my women," teased Alex in a low whisper as she leaned forward and captured Piper's lips into a tender kiss.

That was another thing she couldn't stop from doing- touching Piper's stomach. She loved to feel the roundness of it against her palms. And especially since the baby had started to move. Alex never would have thought she would enjoy pregnancy as much as she did.

It was amazing to see..

Piper laughed in between kisses. She loved to see this side of Alex. She never would had thought that Alex would love her body in its current state.

The kiss deepened slowly as mouths parted and tongues slid over one another.

They were both too absorbed in the kiss to hear the sound of footsteps come down the stairs and into the hallway.

"_Mommy_...I don't feel well."

Alex and Piper immediately pulled away from each other and turned towards Issy, who was standing in the doorway, clutching her stomach. The six-year-old had stayed home from school with Piper all day after spiking a fever the previous night.

Piper immediately peeled herself from Alex and went to her daughter, pressing a hand to her forehead. "Her fever is back," she noted worriedly as she glanced up at Alex.

Alex quickly came over to where Issy and Piper were standing. She too pressed her hand to the little girl's forehead and found that she was indeed warm... She rested her hand against her stepdaughter's forehead for a second longer before bringing it down and caressing her cheek. She studied Issy's face for a second before glancing over at Piper. She could sense that she was worried. Issy never really got sick, but Alex figured it was normal. All kids had to get sick every now and then.

It was part of growing up.

"Come on, Iss," whispered Alex as she suddenly lifted Issy into her arms. Over the two years that Alex had known her stepdaughter, she had grown a bit, but her weight was like nothing in her arms right now. "Let's get you to bed," she said as she pressed a kiss to the side of Issy's forehead.

Issy immediately wrapped her arms and legs around Alex and rested her head against her shoulder.

Alex smiled reassuringly at Piper before leaving the room. She knew that Piper was thinking the worse at the moment, but she still honestly thought it was just the flu that Issy had. Of course, she hadn't known Issy every minute of her life like Piper did.

But Alex liked to think that she knew the little girl pretty well from how she liked the crust cut off her sandwiches to her favorite colour, which was still purple.

Piper chewed on her bottom lip as she brought her hands to her stomach and rubbed the sides of it. She knew she was probably worrying over nothing, but she couldn't help herself. Issy had never gotten a fever like she had last night.

She was scared that it might be something more.

But again, she was just six years old. She was supposed to get sick and fall down and get bruises.

Regardless, the mother bear in Piper sensed that it was something more then just the usual childhood cold.

* * *

_May 2022_

The sun poured in through the window and into the room, basking everything in a bright light.

Piper was awake, but her eyes were closed as she felt the warmth of a body beside her. She couldn't help but smile as she felt a hand suddenly on her stomach and a kiss on the side of her neck.

"Good morning," whispered a raspy voice in her ear.

"Good morning," whispered Piper as she rolled onto her back and fluttered her eyes open. Alex's face was hovering just inches above her own, and she looked into those green eyes staring deeply back at her. She couldn't help but grin like an idiot. It had been a while since she had anyone in her bed, let alone Alex. She'd never would thought that she would reconnect with infamous ex. To say they had been through tough times together was an understatement. But somehow, they had come back together. She had always been drawn to Alex. She could never stay away for too long, and they were finally in a place in their lives when they could just be together.

Things were good once again. There was no fiancés to worry about or any other secrets.

There was a wide grin spread across Alex's face. She was so damn happy at the moment. It had been so long- _too_ long since she had woken up beside Piper like this. It brought her back to those earlier days, waking up in the blonde's small cramped bed. They had been inseparable back then. They could never get close enough to each other as they slept.

This time was turning out to be no different.

Last night had been...amazing to say the least.

Alex stretched herself on top of Piper. Her hair dark hair fell over her shoulder like a waterfall as her hands pinned Piper's wrists to the mattress. They stayed like this for a moment, looking deeply at one another before their lips met.

As the heat in the room began to build, the covers fell to the floor, but neither of them took notice. Their naked flesh grinded and slid repeatedly against one another as passion continued to build. Their lips roughly parted and tongues intertwined. Last night had been slow and about getting to know each other on an intimate level again. But this time, there was no going slow.

It was raw and rough and filled with fire.

This wasn't unknown territory they were in, but a very familiar one.

And it was all just beginning.

* * *

_January 2024_

A couple days had passed, and Issy's condition hadn't gotten any better.

She still had a pretty high fever, which continued to worry Piper. And she had discovered that the left side of the little girl's abdomen was now hard and swollen slightly. It didn't hurt Issy when it was pressed down on, but Piper wasn't going to be taking any chances.

The sky was overcast as Piper lead Issy into the hospital. She had made an appointment with Issy's pediatrician. Hopefully, he could tell her what was wrong with her little girl and make her better. She didn't know what it was, but it most definitely not the flu that Alex had first thought it was.

"Mommy," whispered Issy as Piper pushed opened open of the door and lead her side. Her brown eyes were wide as she glanced up at her mother. She hated the doctor, she thought to herself. She'd rather go to school then be here. But Mommy said it would be quick. They were here to make her feel better. And then they could go back home and watch Tangled. That was her favourite movie. Rapunzel was her favourite princess by far.

"It's going to be okay," replied Piper as she squeezed Issy's hand. She knew that Issy was scared and how much she hated going to the doctor. Piper was trying to stay positive. But deep down, Piper was freaking out. She wished that Alex had come with her, but she had to work.

Alex always knew how to calm her down in situations like this.

She kept her grounded.

Despite her massive stomach, Piper stopped suddenly and picked up Issy. The six-year-old was too old to be carried like this, but Piper didn't care. Her little girl wasn't feeling well, and she would do anything to make her feel better. She kissed the side of her face before proceeding across the lobby of the hospital to the elevators. She could feel the baby kick, but she ignored it.

Piper could only concentrate on one child at the moment.

xxx

Alex could barely hear what Piper was saying as she cried into the phone.

"Pipes...babe, what's wrong?" she asked again, only to get a muffled reply. She could feel her insides twisting with nerves. She didn't like this one bit she thought as she continued to listen to the cries of her wife.

Alex was just leaving work when Piper had called her, telling her she was still at the hospital. This had worried Alex. She should have been gone by now, she thought. Issy's appointment had been early that morning, and it was almost five pm now...

"Is it the baby?" asked Alex, trying to get Piper to talk to her. Her mind was racing trying to figure out why Piper was at the hospital still. She didn't know if it was because of Issy or something had gone wrong with the pregnancy.

"_No_!" whispered Piper harshly on the other end. "It's not the baby. She's fine."

"Okay," replied Alex. That was one check mark off her list... "What about Issy? what did the doctor say?"

Piper just sobbed loudly into the phone at this.

Alex's insides twisted again with a feeling of dread, hearing the sharp cries of her wife in her ear. She hated when Piper cried like this. She had seen her break down too many times, more than she liked to count over the years.

"Pipes, what did the doctor say?" She spoke slowly as if it was Issy she was talking to and not her wife. "What does she have?" Her mind was racing, but she wouldn't allow herself to consider the worse possible situation until she heard it come from Piper's mouth. She needed to be the strong one here.

"They think it's cancer...there's a mass or something on her kidney..."

Piper's words had come out muffled due to her crying, but Alex had heard the words _cancer_, _mass_ and _kidney_ very clearly.

"I'm coming down," Alex replied quickly into the phone.

* * *

Thanks for reading and please review!

Julie


	3. Chapter 2

Do not own Orange Is the New Black or any of the characters.

Thanks again for all the reviews and support still on this story.

Thanks to fig-aruna for being a doll and betaing!

* * *

**Overcast**

_**Chapter 2**_

_Interruptions of Life_

_January 2024_

"Hey, hey, hey..." whispered Alex softly as she tried to comfort Piper.

She wrapped her arms as best as she could around Piper's bump, bringing her head to rest on her shoulder.

Alex had just arrived at the hospital. Issy was getting a MRI done at the moment. Piper had explained as best as she could through her sobs what Issy's doctor had said. After asking about her symptoms and doing a physical exam on her, he had ordered an ultrasound to be done on the left side of her abdomen.

They had also taken a blood and urine test.

"The ultrasound showed that she had a mass growing on her kidney. They said it could be a tumour," Piper explained slowly as she tried to compose herself. The last few hours had been a lot to process. After the doctor had said he wanted to do a few tests on Issy, she had known the worse had happened. The doctor hadn't come right out and said what the mass was, but Piper knew the truth.

Her whole word seemed to be spiralling out of her control again.

"So they don't know if it's for sure cancer or not?" asked Alex, who was trying to piece together what Piper had just told her.

"No," murmured Piper as she shook her head from side-to-side and took a step away from Alex. She ran her fingers underneath her eyes, brushing away the tears which rested there. "Not yet...they are doing a MRI to get a better look at the mass for now."

"So it could be nothing then," stated Alex.

Piper just gave her a look at this. "How can it not be fucking nothing!? There is a fucking mass growing on my baby's kidney! That is not fucking _nothing_!" Her voice cracked as another wave of emotions came over her.

"I'm sorry," whispered Alex as she once again took Piper into her arms. She pressed a soft kiss to the side of her neck as she began to rock her slightly back and forth. She knew what she said was wrong. A mass on Issy's kidney wasn't nothing. But she was trying to remain on the positive side of things. They didn't know for sure what the exact details were. It might not be a tumour, it could just be some sort of mass, maybe harmless, she thought. She knew she was pulling at straws, but she really didn't want to think about Issy having cancer.

She was only six.

She was way too young to have cancer.

xxx

Issy was a little groggy from the medication they had given her before the MRI scan to keep her calm. Her eyes were half-closed as she lay on the hospital bed. She couldn't really understand what was going on. Mommy had said they would be quick, but they had been at the hospital _forever_! And she didn't feel any better...she wanted to go home, thought the six-year-old to herself.

They were in a brightly colourful room with animals painted on the walls, waiting for the doctor to come talk to them. Piper was holding Issy's hand with one while the other gently stroked her hair. Her heart was beating a mile a minute as she listened to the soft ticking of the clock on the wall.

She hated all this waiting.

Alex was standing beside Piper. She was not only worried about Issy, but about Piper as well. All this stress was not good for the baby, she thought. The pregnancy hadn't been considered high-risk or anything, but she still worried that all this stress would somehow affect the baby, not to mention Piper herself. She continued to study Piper as she slid her hand down her wife's arm and rested it on top of Piper's and Issy's intertwined fingers.

Whatever happened she thought, they would get through this together, for they were a family.

Just as Alex was leaning forward to press a kiss to the side of Piper's neck, the door opened, and the doctor came in.

All three of them glanced towards the newcomer.

* * *

_May 2022_

Piper giggled as she felt Alex's hands suddenly slip underneath the front of her shirt. Alex's breath was hot against the back of her neck as her hands continued to roam up her ribcage to her breasts.

"Issy's going to be home soon," warned Piper as Alex began to kiss the side of her neck.

"So," whispered Alex in between kisses. "I can be quick!"

Piper was silent for a moment as she allowed for Alex's touch to take over her body. She could feel the heat of her sex begin to throb against the tightness of her jeans in response to Alex's hard pull on her nipple. They had already spent most of the day in bed and had only gotten out just now for Larry would be dropping off Issy soon.

"Ale_xxxmmmhh_," she whimpered as Alex suddenly bit the side of her neck and whose her other hand cupped her through her jeans.

"I can be quick," whispered Alex huskily into Piper's ear. "Don't you remember how fast I could make you cum in Litchfield..."

Piper was surprised slightly that Alex was bringing up Litchfield. They didn't really talk about it anymore. Before she could question it any further though, Alex had spun her around and had her pressed up against the kitchen counter.

Alex crashed her mouth hard against Piper's as her hands flew to the fly of her jeans and immediately began to pull it down.

Piper's mouth immediately responded to Alex's, lips parting widely open and her tongue slipping easily into the brunette's mouth. Her hands clenched the back of Alex's head, pulling roughly at her hair.

Piper moaned and whimpered as Alex slid her hand down her pants and roughly rubbed her pussy through her panties.

For a short period it was like they were in their twenties again, kissing and fucking like they didn't have a care in the world. It was just them in the moment, being human.

However, their moment of bliss didn't last very long as a knock rang at the front door.

"Shit! That's Larry!" whispered Piper as she tore her lips away from Alex and glanced over to the hallway.

Alex placed one last open-mouthed kiss to the side of Piper's neck before pulling her hand out of her pants and taking a step back. She smirked slightly as Piper did up her fly and readjusted herself.

After all the years they had known each other and been apart for, she couldn't help but gloat a little that she still had it in her to make Piper flustered like she was now.

* * *

_January 2024_

The room was completely silent as the words hung heavily in the air.

The doctor had just finished explaining and showing the result of Issy's scans from the MRI. There was indeed a large tumour like mass on her left kidney. They thought it was Nephroblastoma or also known as Wilms tumour, which apparently a rare form of cancer that was most often found in the kidneys of children. He had said that due to the size of it and where it was placed, that it was mostly likely that, but they wouldn't be hundred percent sure until they took a sample of the tumour and looked at it underneath a microscope.

Issy looked from the doctor who was a new doctor and not her usual one then back down to her stomach. Her hands touched it through the scratchy paper hospital gown she had been forced to put on. Her face wrinkled in confusion as she tried to feel this tumour thing she had apparently growing inside of her. She frowned slightly as she felt nothing. She wondered if this doctor had gotten it wrong.

Her stomach was flat...she felt nothing.

Not like when she touched Mommy's stomach which had a baby growing inside of it. Her brown eyes shifted towards Piper's. Her stomach was very round...you could definitely tell that there was something inside of it, thought Issy as she continued to compare her stomach to her mother's.

This doctor must have gotten some other kid's scans, she thought, there was no tumour or whatever he had said it was _nephroblahblahblah..._inside of her. There was just the normal guts and stuff inside of her. She would have felt this tumour thing growing if there was one...which she was pretty certain there wasn't.

"With Wilms tumour, usually surgery is done to remove the tumour completely from the kidney before doing chemotherapy. However, in Issy's case, the tumour is quite large and has spread to the abdomen," explained the doctor calmly as he pointed at the scans, circling were the cancer was located.

Piper squeezed Alex's hand hard at hearing this.

Her eyes looked hard at the scans and tried to make sense of what she was being shown, but it all came up fuzzy. It just looked like a series of white bubbles to her.

A buzzing sound suddenly seemed to fill her ears as she continued to stare hard at the scans and began to tune the doctor out. Her vision blurred slightly around the edges as her eyes pierced into the black and white images in front of her. She was trying to make sense of it all, like if the longer she stared at the scans, the more she would understand what was happening and what the _hell_ the doctor was saying.

However, the longer she stared, the more confused she got. It was giving her a headache, all this looking at these monochromatic scans which were just like a series of shapes to her. It reminded her of the first time she had gotten an ultrasound down when she was just a few weeks pregnant with Issy, back when she had been just some unknown little blimp in her stomach.

She could feel Alex squeezing her hand and asking the doctor something, but her voice sounded miles away.

"So surgery isn't an option, then?" asked Alex.

Her mind was racing as she tried to process all the doctor was telling them. Issy had cancer, but they couldn't be for sure until they took a sample of the tumour, which would require surgery. But Issy couldn't have surgery because it was too big and had spread...

As much as she was trying to, she didn't understand how they could say it was something but _not_ be sure until they did this other thing...but they couldn't do this other thing? So how in hell would they determine what it was? Alex's brain was in overdrive. Her green eyes were piercing into the doctor, waiting for him to fucking explain what they were going to do next to treat the tumour currently growing on her stepdaughter's kidney.

"It is still an option, but not right away. First, we will do a biopsy to get a sample of the tumour, then start Issy right away on chemotherapy. The tumour is too large to remove at the moment. And with doing chemo first, we will hopefully be able shrink the tumour to a manageable size, so that it can be completely removed safely," the doctor's voice again was calm as he explained all this.

Alex just stared at the doctor as a blanket of silence fell over them. She had no more questions to ask. Her eyes drifted over to Piper who had been very silent the whole time the doctor had been talking. She could sense by the look on her wife's face that she had zoned out. Piper, she knew, had a tendency to drift mentally when in extreme emotional distress. She had seen her cut her self off from everyone at Litchfield, and now she was doing it again, here and now. It wasn't in the same way as it had been at Litchfield, but Alex still didn't like to see her do it. It scared her...it made her think about how she had almost lost Piper all those years ago.

"Pipes," she whispered as she inched her face close to her. "Pipes!"

Alex's voice went in and out of Piper's ear as though she was submerged underwater. Her blue eyes drifted around the room before landing on Issy, who was staring straight back at her.

"Mommy, can we go home now?" asked Issy as she locked eyes with Piper. She was tired and wanted to go home and watch Tangled like Piper had promised she could. She didn't want to have to wear this gown anymore. She wanted to put her own clothes back on and head home.

Piper opened and closed her mouth, but no words came out. Her brain seemed to have lost all control over her body and motor skills at the moment, like she was in shock or something.

"Soon, baby, soon," whispered Alex as she addressed her stepdaughter's question. She could sense that the kid was tired and didn't really understand what was going on at the moment.

Alex's attention then once again drifted towards her wife, who had finally met her eye. Piper's blue eyes were round and doe-like – not so different from the way Issy's looked now. She wish she could take them both away at this second from this room, the walls of which felt like they were slowly caving in on them.

However, she knew they were far from being done. She squeezed Piper's hand again, reassuring her that she was here before glancing back at the doctor.

The doctor had warm hazel eyes and a nice smile, thought Alex to herself, as she studied his face for a second. He kind of reminded her of that young CO at Litchfield...Bennett, she thought his name had been.

Alex opened her mouth to ask if Issy could go home, but before she could the doctor was speaking, again.

"Unfortunately, with the extent of the cancer, I would like to perform the biopsy right away, so we can determine if the cells are favourable or unfavourable," explained the doctor as if reading the question on Alex's mind. "With Wilms tumour, it gets broken down into to categories, Favourable Histology and Unfavourable Histology. 90% of cells from Wilms tumour lack anaplasia, which means they are most likely favourable. If Issy's contain favourable histology, this will make treating the cancer easier for us. If they come back unfavourable, it is still treatable. It will just change how we approach treating the cancer."

"So, what kind do you think Issy's as?" asked Alex, once again taking the reins of the conversation, not to mention trying to make sense of all that was happening.

"We won't know that until we look at a sample of the tumour through a microscope," explained the doctor.

Alex swallowed over the lump in her throat at this, her eyes once again drifting onto Issy. She didn't really know what a biopsy involved, but whatever it was sounded serious.

God, she hated hospitals, she thought as the smell of bleach suddenly filled her nostrils. She had always hated them – ever since she was a kid, but especially now. There was just something about hospitals that reminded her of Litchfield. She didn't know if it was the smell or the white walls or how doctors made her feel stupid...just like the COs had. She just couldn't stop comparing them.

Especially now that this doctor was reminding her of Bennett.

She closed her eyes briefly and let out a deep breath. She needed to remain calm and cool she thought. This wasn't the time to run or anything like that. Her family needed her at the moment.

Alex opened her eyes and once again squeezed Piper's hand, letting her know she was here beside her before locking eyes with the doctor.

"So how does this biopsy thing work?" she asked, all business once again.

xxx

The baby kicked Piper sharply in the ribs, but she took no notice of it really as she focused all her attention onto Issy, who was sleeping.

After what was the longest day, they were finally back home. Issy was fast asleep in her own bed now as Piper continued to gaze down at her. The blonde knew she should be resting herself, but she couldn't go to sleep, not now. Her mind was racing with thoughts.

She couldn't believe that her baby had cancer...her little _Issywissy_ had cancer...she had _fucking_ cancer...she couldn't _fucking_ believe it...she just _fucking_ couldn't...

The doctor had said that due to the large size of the tumour and how the cancer had spread to a part of Issy's abdomen, that it was most likely stage three cancer. Piper didn't know what all the different stages meant, but the higher the number, the worse it was, that much she _did _know. She was trying not to think of the worst, but her mind kept on flashing to the images from the scans. The mass had been a lot bigger than the size of Issy's actual kidney...

Piper's mind seemed to be lost in some sort of fog.

She _still_ didn't know how to process anything. Every time someone tried to talk to her, she had to weigh each word in her mind and think about what they were saying before replying.

Everything seemed to be a struggle.

Nothing seemed to be the same anymore. Her house felt different than it had when she left it this morning. Her whole world had been flipped upside down. And it wasn't just her world either, but Issy's this time.

Issy had _cancer_.

She'd tried to say the words out loud, but couldn't in the end. Hearing the word come out of her mouth would make it _more_ of a reality that she wasn't ready to face...not yet...not ever really.

She hated how she hadn't prevented this from happening. The doctor had explained that there was nothing she could have done, but as a mother, it was her job to protect her child, she thought, and she had failed Issy big time. Issy shouldn't have to face going in for chemo in the next few days. She shouldn't have to face losing her hair and being sick. She should be playing outside and building snowmen like other kids her age were.

She shouldn't have to be faced with this sudden burden to fight for her life.

She was only a little girl, thought Piper to herself... Tears stung her eyes, but she didn't let them fall. She needed to remain strong she thought. Issy deserved that much from her. She couldn't lose control of her emotions...not like she had done in the past. This wasn't about her. It was about that little girl who was currently fast asleep.

Her daughter deserved that much from her. To not be stupidly selfish for once and handle her emotions. But she knew it would be a struggle. She was already losing control of herself, and it was really only the beginning of things to come.

Piper heard Alex approach from behind, but she made no move to look at her. Her attention was focused on the steady rise and fall of her daughter's chest.

"Hey," whispered Alex as she wrapped her arms around Piper's stomach and rested her chin on her shoulder.

Piper found her eyes closing as she felt the heat of Alex's body press up against her back, and her body immediately begin to relax as it leaned into Alex's hold for support.

She kind of kept on forgetting that she didn't have to go through all this alone. She had Alex to help her and be there for her. She had been a single parent for so long, she wasn't used yet to sharing the burden when something bad happened. She was just so used to keeping everything to herself and handling things on her own.

Alex pressed another kiss to the side of Piper's neck as her hands began to trace smooth circles along her bump. She knew that Piper was scared, and she had to admit, she was too. Issy was too fucking young for all of this. She was just an innocent little kid. She didn't deserve to be sick like this...

The baby kicked again, this time against the palm of Alex's hand. She couldn't help but smile slightly at this. She would never get used to feeling the baby move in Piper's belly.

It amazed her that she had something to do with that little person growing inside of Piper.

"Come to bed," whispered Alex after a moment had passed. "You need to sleep too."

Piper was silent as she continued to lean into Alex, breathing in the comforting scent of her before nodding her head slowly. She was tired and should at least to try to get some sleep, even if it was for a couple of hours.

Tomorrow would be a long day too.

xxx

Alex rolled onto her back and sighed out of frustration.

She had lain there for what seemed like forever, looking up at the ceiling and listening to the heavy breathing of Piper beside her. It was late at night now, and she should really have been sleeping, but it seemed that her mind wouldn't let her.

She was wide awake.

Fear raced through her veins as she tried to make sense of what the doctor had said. Her heart pounded as the worst possible scenarios automatically played out in her mind. When she heard the word cancer, she couldn't help but think of death. It was just a natural progression of thought for her. Her grandmother had died of lung cancer when she was ten. It was why her mother had told her to never fucking smoke – It would kill her.

But of course she had, and a few others things...

Tears immediately filled her eyes as a sense of sadness washed over her. She arched her back and squeezed her eyes closed, trying to prevent the tears from falling.

She couldn't lose it.

Issy was still here, and Alex couldn't think the worst. She needed to remain positive. She needed to have hope. Issy was a fighter, like her mother. Issy was going to beat this thing, she thought.

She just fucking hated how she had no control over this thing. It was Piper in Litchfield all over again.

Alex hated not being in control. She hated feeling hopeless and depressed that there was nothing she could do.

If Alex could somehow go back in time and be the one to get cancer, so that Issy didn't...she would. In a heart beat. Because then she would somewhat be in control of the situation. She would be the one fighting off the cancer, not Issy. Issy could still be a kid that way.

Alex slowly got out of bed, being careful not to awaken Piper as she crept out of the bedroom and headed downstairs to the kitchen. She didn't think it would help Issy much, but it would make her feel somewhat in control if she knew every detail about Issy's condition.

And ultimately find her the best care.

Alex was going to research and read everything she could about Wilms Tumour and cancer in general. She knew that Piper had done her own brief search on it before going to bed, but Alex needed to do her own.

She opened up the laptop which Piper had left sitting out on the kitchen table and booted it up. She brought her knees up to her chest as she took a seat at the table and studied the screen of the computer. She yawned slightly before closing her eyes and running her hands through her hair.

It was going to be a long night, she thought as she opened up the internet and typed Wilms Tumour into the search engine. It was times like these that Alex wished her mom were still alive. She had always known just what to say in hard times. She had always been there for Alex as a listening ear or a shoulder to cry on.

She had been thinking about her mom a lot lately, especially since the pregnancy. Her mom, she liked to think, would be happy that she was having a child. Her mom hadn't been around much growing up, since she had worked four jobs, but she had been the best mom that Alex could ask for.

And now with Issy's current diagnosis of cancer, she wished her mom was here more than ever, just to give her some wisdom on how to handle it. They had yet to tell anyone about what had happened today. Except for Larry, of course. Alex had been the one to make that phone call. Piper had been too focused on Issy. She said she would call him tomorrow once the results were in, but Alex thought that Larry deserved a heads up.

It had been a little awkward at first when Alex had started dating Piper again.

It was _still_ fucking awkward on most occasions, just considering the history of them all, but they tried not to think about it too much now. Especially for Issy's sake.

They all loved that little girl.

* * *

_May 2022_

Alex stood in the kitchen as Piper went to open the door.

She wasn't exactly hiding while Larry dropped Issy back off at home, but she didn't exactly want to be seen either.

She and Piper hadn't exactly told everyone that they were seeing each other. They didn't want to make a big deal about it like they knew people would. Nicky and Lorna, of course, knew since the two of them had practically stolen the thunder from their big day, but the couple hadn't seemed to mind.

They were happy for them.

And Red, of course, knew because...well, Red knew everything.

Issy knew too, but that was about it.

Piper had yet to tell her family and friends she was back with Alex. She had told Polly, but Piper told her everything, so that didn't really count. And she didn't really have any plans to tell anyone else.

It had only been a few weeks, and she didn't want to jinx anything, not yet that was.

They had been down this path so many times before...this reconnecting after years apart and thinking that this time would be the time that it worked, the time that it would finally stick. Every time, though, one or both of them screwed it up, or something else happened to tear them apart.

They didn't want that to happen this time though.

This time they were determined to make it work.

Alex listened as Piper spoke to Larry for a few minutes before shutting the door and saying goodbye. She then heard little footsteps come skipping down the hallway.

She counted to ten in her head before she heard a little voice.

"ALEX!"

* * *

Thanks for reading!

Julie


	4. Chapter 3

Do not own Orange Is the New Black or any of the characters.

* * *

**Overcast**

_**Chapter 3**_

_A Fighter_

_January 2024_

The room was deafeningly silent as everyone's attention was focused on the movements of the nurse as she inserted the IV into Issy's right hand.

It was her first day of chemotherapy.

It was just a few days since they had gotten the results back from the biopsy. Issy most definitely had cancer. But the tumour was favourable, which the doctor had explained was a good thing. Issy was to have chemotherapy every week until the tumour had shrunk enough before going in for surgery to remove it.

Issy was surrounded by both of her parents and Alex. Larry had dropped everything to be with his daughter on this day. He was still working at the news station as a writer, but despite it being an election day, he was here. His daughter came first, he had told Piper when she mentioned it.

Larry smiled warmly down at Issy as she looked up at him from the bed. She smiled back at him before glancing over to where Alex and Piper stood on the other side. She could sense that they were all scared for her. They had tried to explain as best as they could to her what she had without scaring her too much.

However, Issy knew about cancer, or at least some of it. Her Bubbe had been diagnosed with it last year. The six-year-old only really knew that it was a disease that caused you to lose all your hair.

The rest was unknown to her.

Piper was finding it difficult to keep her emotions at bay as she stared into those brown eyes of her daughter. She tried to smile, but a muffled sob escaped from her lips instead.

"It's okay, Mommy," whispered Issy as she reached out with her left hand and rested it on top of Piper's. "Don't cry." She didn't like to see Mommy cry, it made her sad. Especially since she had been so happy lately.

"I'm a brave girl!" she whispered with a smile. The nurse had poked her twice in the hand before successfully putting the IV in. And Issy was proud to say she hadn't cried out once. She wanted to show Mommy that there was nothing to worry about, she was a big girl.

Tears rolled down Piper's cheeks at this. When had her daughter become so grown up? she thought. Issy was the one going through chemo, not her. She was supposed to be the one comforting her, not the other way around. She intertwined her fingers with Issy's, squeezing her hand as she leaned forward and kissed her crown.

"You're a _very_ brave little girl," she whispered into her daughter's hair.

Alex held Piper's other hand, gently caressing it as she watched the nurse adjust the bag of medication that was attached to the IV in Issy's hand onto the rack. The chemotherapy was being injected through the vein and directly into her bloodstream. They were using three different types of medicine that Alex couldn't remember the names of now. But whatever they were they were going to help shrink the tumour.

It was apparently normal for them to treat the cancer with three different medicines in Issy's condition. Or so the doctor had said and in what she had come across in her research the other night. However, no matter how much Alex had read about Wilms tumour, she still didn't feel like she had a control on anything.

Yes, she understood what was to come next in treating it. And had a fairly good idea what to expect, but it wasn't that easy, like preparing for an exam or something.

It still didn't tell her how to prevent her wife from unravelling. Sure, it had given her a list of support groups and other things they could join that involved other families going through the same thing. But she honestly had no interest, at least not at the moment, to join some support group. She just figured it would be like those AA meetings she had to attend. She was in no mood for sharing her feelings with a bunch of strangers. Her main concern was just her family and keeping them sane. And that just didn't go for Piper and Issy but Nicky as well. She had never seen Nicky so upset then when she had been when she found out about Issy's cancer. Both she and Lorna loved that girl like their own.

This was only the beginning, thought Alex as she continued to watch the nurse. Issy was to undergo chemotherapy for 28 weeks. That was seven months, she calculated. In 20 weeks, Piper would have the baby. This was not how the birth of their child was supposed to go, she thought. If she could have predicted this, she would have never suggested that they try for a baby. If only they had waited, she thought. They had planned to start trying in December, but they figured what was the difference of a few months. They had both wanted a baby, sooner rather than later. But now, Alex was having regrets. She hated to think about the stress that Piper was putting herself through and ultimately putting the baby under.

However, she didn't blame Piper for being stressed. Her other child had cancer.

Piper wasn't good at multitasking when it came to her emotions. What had happened at Litchfield all those years ago was proof of that. The blonde could only focus on one emotion at a time, and when they all came to the surface like she knew they would soon, it was going to be hell.

It was up to her to keep not only her wife calm, but sane and everything else.

Or as sane as possible.

But that little girl was a fighter she thought as she locked eyes with Issy.

The nurse had just left the room, explaining she would be back in a half an hour or so to check up on her.

Issy smiled at Alex. Alex could feel tears immediately sting her eyes as she studied the little girl's face. She was a fighter, she thought again. She was a fighter like her mother. Issy would survive this.

She had to.

Alex nervously adjusted her glasses as she blinked her eyes and smiled back at Issy. She didn't want to scare her stepdaughter any more than she probably already was.

* * *

_July 2022_

It had been a while since Alex had celebrated her birthday. She had long ago stopped caring about the day she'd been born on. To her, it was just another day in the year.

However, to a certain four-almost-five-year-old, it was everything.

Issy was not only super excited that it was July 4th, America's birthday, but Alex's as well. When the little girl had found out a couple of weeks before that Alex's birthday was on July 4th, she had started asking Alex what she wanted for her birthday.

Alex had tried to play it down, saying she didn't want anything, but the little girl had kept on pushing, until Alex had given in.

That's how Alex ended up seated in the backyard of Nicky's and Lorna's house wearing one of those coned party hats on her head and having everyone she knew around her singing "Happy Birthday."

She was trying not to roll her eyes but was struggling. This was just so damn cheesy, she thought. Even as a kid she hadn't had a birthday party like this, at least that she could remember. She hadn't had a lot of parties growing up. All her friends were usually away on vacation or at camp for the summer or busy doing something else on the national holiday. The only thing that had been consistent each year, and the one thing she had really looked forward to, was the fireworks at the end of the night. She knew they weren't for her, but growing up, she secretly liked to think they had been just for her.

As the song came to an end and everyone clapped, Alex couldn't help but laugh.

"Make a wish, Alex!" cried out Issy as she leaned over the side of the table and smiled at Alex.

Alex smiled at the little girl before glancing over at the candles burning on the homemade chocolate cake. Issy and Red had baked it together, the four-year-old had proudly informed Alex earlier that afternoon. The cake was round and covered in bright pink frosting. It had six Disney princess figurines on it, one for each of them as Issy had explained to Alex- there was Snow White for Lorna, Cinderella for Piper, Rapunzel for Issy, Ariel for Red, Merida for Nicky, and Belle for Alex.

Alex was glad to see that there were only five candles on the cake instead of forty-five. She didn't need to be reminded of how old she was now.

"Are you going to help me blow them out?" asked Alex as she pushed back her chair against the deck and gestured for Issy to come sit on her lap.

The little girl's face broke out into a wide grin at this. She nodded her head as she took a seat on Alex's lap. Issy always liked it when she was asked to join in on something. Especially by Alex. She was really happy that Mommy and her were dating. That meant she got to see Alex more.

"On the count of three, okay..."

"One...Two..."

"WAIT!" cried out Piper suddenly. "I need to get a picture of this!"

"Seriously?!" asked Alex incredulously as she looked up at Piper and raised her eyebrows. Did she really need a fucking picture of her in a birthday hat? she thought as Piper dug into her jeans for her phone.

"Yes, seriously!" replied Piper, not even bothering to look at Alex. "You both just look so damn cute at the moment, I need to capture it!"

Alex just rolled her eyes and bounced Issy slightly on the edge of her knee as they all waited for Piper.

"Mommy!" cried out Issy as she mimicked Alex's eye rolling.

"Come on, Chapman, the candles are melting. I don't need to be peeling wax off of my piece of cake now," chimed in Nicky with a grin. She was only giving Piper a hard time like Alex and Issy were.

"Okay, okay!" cried out Piper as she finally opened the camera app on her phone. "I'm ready!"

"Say Cheese!" she cried as she held up the phone towards Issy and Alex.

"CHEEZZEE!" said Alex and Issy as they smiled broadly at the camera.

Piper took three pictures of Alex and Issy before finally allowing for them to blow out the candles on the cake.

"Don't forget to make a wish!" whispered Issy into Alex's ear. Making a wish was her favourite part. She didn't want Alex to miss out on it. You only got to make the wish once a year, so it had to be a really special one. Plus afterwards, you couldn't tell anyone even Mommy, or it wouldn't come true.

Alex smiled at hearing Issy's little voice. She looked at her face for a second before glancing over at Piper. She didn't know exactly what to wish for, really. She had everything she wanted, right here in front of her, she thought as her eyes drifted around the backyard. She had a family for once. She was happy. Extremely happy. She didn't need anything else.

She thought for a second before coming up with something she could wish for.

"Okay, on the count of three..." she began to state again to the little girl.

"One!" cried out Issy.

"Two!"

"Three!"

_I wish for a happy ending!_

"We were going to have black icing, but that's doesn't make such a pretty cake," Issy spoke into Alex's ear afterwards. She remembered how Alex had told her that her favourite colour was black.

Alex couldn't help but chuckle at hearing this. She looked from the little girl to the bright pink cake and back.

"You're right! Black icing wouldn't make such a pretty cake!"

* * *

_January 2024_

"Hey," whispered Alex as she opened the door for Nicky.

"Hey," Nicky answered back as she stepped across the threshold and into the foyer of the house.

"Where's the fam?" asked Alex as she shut the door and glanced over her shoulder at the other woman. Usually, Nicky had Luca and Lorna with her when she came to visit nowadays.

"Luca is teething, and Lorna thought it would be better if I just came," explained Nicky as her voice trailed off slightly. Not only was she tired from having a fussing baby at home, but she was exhausted just in general. The news of Issy having cancer had hit her hard.

Alex was silent as she nodded her head in understanding at this. The news of Issy having cancer had been hard on both of them, Nicky especially. Alex knew how much both of them cared for that little girl and thought of her as their own daughter in a way.

"How is she doing?" asked Nicky after a moment had passed.

"She was amazing through the whole process," replied Alex as she thought back to how Issy hadn't cried once or anything as the nurse had tried to insert the needle into her vein. "She threw up on the cab ride home, but they said that she might be nausea and sick for the next couple of days...one of the side effects of chemo."

Nicky looked grim at hearing this news. She hated that this was happening to Issy. No child deserved to get sick like that. Especially out of the blue. Issy had been a healthy child since birth and for her to suddenly be diagnosed with cancer was definitely a shocker. She hated to think that could happen one day to Luca. She shuddered at just the thought of that sweet little baby, who was looking more and more like Lorna each day, getting cancer.

"She's sleeping now," continued Alex as she ran a hand through her hair and glanced down the hallway towards where Piper was just emerging from the kitchen.

Piper smiled slightly at seeing Nicky.

"Hey," greeted the blonde as she approached her and Alex.

"Hey," greeted back Nicky.

A deafening silence fell over the group of women. None of them knew what to say really about the current situation they were in. If any of them could take Issy's place at the moment, they would in a heartbeat. All three of them fucking loved that little girl.

Piper rubbed her pregnant stomach as she glanced over at Alex. "I'm going to go to bed," she whispered to her wife. She was exhausted from such an emotional day and wasn't in the mood to stay and entertain.

Alex nodded her head and placed her hand over Piper's which was resting on her stomach. "Okay, I'll be up in a few," she whispered back before kissing Piper goodnight.

Piper then said goodnight to Nicky before heading up the stairs. Normally, Piper would wait until Nicky had left before heading off to bed, but seeming rude to her friend was the last thing on her mind at the moment.

Alex and Nicky watched her leave before once again turning their attention onto each other.

"I should be heading home too," spoke Nicky as she ran a hand through her mane of hair. "I just wanted to stop by and see how...things were going..."

Alex just nodded her head in response to this. She didn't except for Nicky to stay and for them to share a good laugh like they would've in the past.

Everything had changed now with Issy being sick.

"Oh...I brought the kid this," said Nicky as she realized that she was still holding the gift bag in her hand. She looked down at the bag as it shined in the light of the hallway before holding it out for Alex to take.

"Oh," murmured Alex in surprise as she took the glittery purple bag from Nicky. Her green eyes glanced down at the bag briefly before looking up at Nicky.

"It's just something small I saw at the store the other day, and I thought it might cheer Iss up a little," explained Nicky quickly.

Alex smiled slightly at her friend's rambling. "You don't have to explain it to me, Nichols. Piper and I already took her to Build-A-Bear yesterday so that she could have something to comfort her when she goes to chemo."

Nicky couldn't help but smile at hearing this. "She fucking loves that place!"

"I know!" stated Alex with a smile. "She was in fucking heaven when Piper told her she could have any bear she wanted..." Her voice trailed off though as she was once again brought down to reality and Issy's current situation. Issy wouldn't be smiling too much longer like she had on that day, she thought. Things from now on would get worse. The doctor had warned them to expect a shift in Issy's mood.

Chemo could take a lot out of someone, especially a child.

"What did she get?" asked Nicky out of curiosity.

"She made a white rainbow polka-dotted bear which she named Marcie," replied Alex as she recalled the latest addition to Issy's ever growing stuff animal collection.

"Marcie!? Where the hell did she get that name from?" It amazed Nicky at times where Issy's mind went and what it came up with.

Alex couldn't help but laugh at this. "I dunno."

The name had taken her by surprised too, but mostly everything that Issy did took her by surprise. That kid never stopped amazing her, she thought. She was something else, just like her mother was. And that's how she guessed how she had remained so calm over the passed few days.

Issy was Piper through and through. And if there was one thing that Piper was- she was a fighter. Issy was a fighter too, thought Alex.

That little girl was going to beat this.

* * *

_July 2022_

Issy was seated at the patio table with Nicky and Alex. They had just finished eating the cake. Red and Piper were helping Lorna clean up in the kitchen while the others smoked.

Well, Nicky was smoking. Alex had quit or had been trying to. She knew that Piper didn't like it very much, especially in front of Issy, who was fascinated by everything that she did at the moment.

Never before had Alex really cared what others thought of her and what she did. But now she was very aware of what she said and did in front of the four-year-old. Issy looked up to Alex like no one else had ever done before. Alex would never consider herself a role model by any means, but she found herself wanting to be for Issy. Hence the not-smoking-anymore.

"Can you please not do that?" asked Alex as she pushed her chair slightly away from Nicky's.

"What?" asked Nicky as she blew smoke out of her mouth and smirked at Alex from across the table.

"You know perfectly well what you're doing, Nichols," stated Alex as she cocked an eyebrow at her friend. She would normally have added a few others words to describe what Nicky was doing, but they had little ears listening in.

That was also another thing that Alex was very aware of- how much she swore. She knew that she used the word 'fuck' a lot to accompany her sentences, but she hadn't been fully aware of her love of the word until Piper had warned her about it.

Nicky just wagged her eyebrows at Alex before taking another long dramatic drag from the cigarette between her fingers.

Alex just rolled her eyes at this before reaching across the table for her can of beer. She bore her eyes into Nicky's as she took a long drink from it. Just like how Alex was trying to quit smoking, Nicky was trying to quit drinking.

"Mmmmmm," moaned Alex as she smacked her lips loudly together in satisfaction.

It was Nicky's turn to roll her eyes at the other woman.

Issy, who was perched in the seat beside Alex's, watched the two women intensely. She knew that smoking was bad for you and that you shouldn't do it, or so Mommy kept on telling her. And Auntie Nicky rarely smoked in front of her, so she found it fascinating to watch as the smoke came out of her lips. It reminded her of the smoking caterpillar from Alice in Wonderland.

She knew she was too young to smoke, and Auntie Nicky wouldn't let her, but that didn't stop her from asking Alex if she could have a sip from her beer. She was always drinking it when at the apartment. Mommy she had seen drink it a couple of times too, but she would never let her have any, not even a small sip. Issy had tasted beer once before, Papa Bloom had let her. She had liked the taste.

"Can I have a sip?" asked Issy as she reached for Alex's can which now rested on the table.

Alex turned her head towards Issy at this. She hadn't been expecting that question. She knew she should tell the little girl no, that's what Piper would want. However, she didn't see the harm in letting her have a sip of the beer. She remembered growing up her Uncle Artie had always let her have a sip or two from his beer. It had been no harm, she thought.

"Sure," she replied as she glanced towards the backdoor of the house, making sure a certain blonde wasn't there.

She smiled at Issy as she handed her the can of beer. "Here."

Issy grinned like she had been handed the world or something. She took the almost full can of beer with two hands and slowly brought it to her lips. She couldn't believe she was being allowed to have a drink. Mommy never let her do this. Alex was the best, she thought.

"You know Chapman won't like that," stated Nicky with a knowing glancing towards Alex.

"I know," whispered Alex as she once again glanced over towards the door before shifting her eyes towards Issy, who was mid-sip. "But what she doesn't know won't hurt her!" She raised her eyebrows as she locked eyes with Nicky again.

Nicky just shook her head slightly and smirked at Alex before taking a drag from her cigarette again. "My lips are sealed, Vause!"

Issy placed the can down onto the table and smacked her lips together like she had seen Alex do. She smiled as she met Alex's eye." Thank you. It was good."

Alex smiled at Issy as she took the can away from her. "Just don't tell Mommy, okay?"

"Okay," whispered Issy.

"It will be out little secret, kid."

"Okay!" Issy loved it when adults told her their secrets. She was good at keeping them too. She never told Mommy what Daddy had said that one time in front of her. Or that one time that Nicky had spilled wine on Mommy's rug. She was a good secret keeper.

"Pinkie promise?" whispered Alex as she held out her pinkie for Issy to shake on.

"Pinkie promise!" whispered back Issy as she curled her pinkie around Alex's.

* * *

Thanks for reading.

Julie


	5. Chapter 4

Do not own Orange Is the New Black or any of the characters.

Thanks to everyone who still continues to read and review this story. I know it's not the easiest thing to read.

* * *

**Overcast**

_**Chapter 4**_

_Falling Apart_

_January 2024_

It was late January as Alex watched the snow fall steadily outside the window.

It was just past six in the morning, and it was still pretty dark outside. However, Alex was used to being up at this time. It'd been almost three years since she'd gotten out, but her body still hadn't quite adjusted from the early morning wake-up calls at Litchfield, but she guessed that stress and fear had the power to bring unpleasant memories back to people.

She cradled the warm mug of coffee in her hands as she brought it up to her lips and took a long sip from it. She was deep in thought as she stood in the living room, looking out onto the quiet street. Piper and Issy would be getting up soon, she thought as she glanced over at the clock on the wall.

It was chemotherapy day.

It had only been three weeks since Issy had been diagnosed with cancer, but it seemed as though months had passed. She had already gone in for chemo three times now, and this would be her fourth time getting the treatment done. The scariest thing, though, was that it almost felt like a routine thing now.

The nurses on the paediatrics wing were already looking familiar to Alex, and mostly everyone knew Issy by her name now. It scared Alex to think how normal it was now to be going to the hospital every five days or so. The doctor said that the chemo was working and that the tumour had shrunk slightly. He said that Issy would only need a couple of more treatments before she would be ready for surgery, but even after she had the tumour removed, she wouldn't be out of the woods yet.

Issy would still have to continue with chemo and maybe even radiation on her abdomen to get rid of the cancer cells that had spread there. However, Alex couldn't think about that now. That was so far away, she thought. She had to just take everything one day at a time. In a way it was like she had converted back to her ways at Litchfield. She had never planned anything in there or thought about what life would be like outside of the prison walls. She had made herself only focus on each crappy day as they came. It would just make her even more depressed if she allowed herself to stop and think about what the future held for her.

"You're up," stated Piper as she came down the stairs of the house and noticed Alex standing by the window.

Alex immediately came out of her thoughts and glanced over her shoulder at Piper and smiled. "Well you know me...always the earlier bird... Need to get that worm..."

She knew it was a lame attempt at a joke, but she would try anything to put a smile on Piper's face, which seemed to have a permanent frown on it nowadays.

Piper smiled slightly as she came towards Alex. She knew Alex was trying to cheer her up. She still remembered how the brunette had tried to do the same years ago in Litchfield before all the shit had happened to her. She had offered to kill Larry for her when she had only been a sick lesbian in a prison bunk. It brought a smile to her face just thinking back to that day.

The couple was quiet for a moment as Piper slowly came to stand beside Alex. She rested her head on her wife's shoulder, watching as the snow fell onto the street, almost hypnotically. She felt Alex wrap an arm around her waist and rested her hand flat against the curve of her belly.

The baby was still at the moment like she usually was at this hour. The baby wouldn't start moving about until another hour or so.

xxx

Issy held both Piper's and Alex's hands as they walked through the now familiar lobby of the hospital and towards the elevators.

"Can I press the button?" asked Issy eagerly as she let go of Piper's hand. Despite going in for chemo, the little girl still had her spunk in her. She was still like any normal healthy kid her age who liked to press the elevator button.

"Sure you can," answered Piper towards her daughter. She patted Issy on the head, running her hand through her long blonde hair. Some of it had already begun to fall out, but it wasn't noticeable.

Issy held tightly onto Alex's hand as she moved to press the button. However, her joy didn't last for long as it suddenly dawned on her that she had forgotten Marcie. Her eyes immediately filled with tears as she looked between Alex and Piper, who were both empty-handed. How could she have forgotten Marcie? she wondered, becoming upset. She needed Marcie!

"What's wrong?" asked Piper, noticing the suddenly distressed look on her daughter's face. "What hurts?" She immediately knelt down and touched Issy's abdomen.

Issy just shook her head. "Nothing," she moaned. Tears began to fall down her face as she continued to look at Piper. She couldn't believe that Piper didn't realize what was wrong.

"_Issy_, what's wrong?" asked Piper again as she tried to get her to talk to her. She was trying not to panic, but Issy was scaring her with her sudden change in moods.

"Marcie," whined Issy in frustration. She had pulled her hand away from Alex's and yanked on her hair. She cried out again as she noticed that a clump of hair had fallen out. Mommy had said her hair would fall out, but she still couldn't help being taken aback by the sight. She cried even harder at this. She didn't want to be bald like her Bubbe was now. She stomped her foot as she dropped the hair to the floor and moaned.

"Weeneeedtooggoohommeee!" her words came out in one long sound.

"Shit," swore Piper as she looked up at Alex in realization.

Alex just stared back at Piper. They had been in a rush that morning when leaving the house that they had forgotten the bear. Issy had a backpack filled with activities books and such, but she needed Marcie.

"We need to go home and get her," stated Issy as she looked between the couple with tearful eyes.

"Baby, we can't go home. Your appointment is soon. We don't have time to go back," explained Piper as she brushed the tears away from Issy's cheeks and tried to calm her daughter down.

Issy just shook her head at this. "We need to go get her!" She didn't understand why Mommy didn't get it! Marcie was apart of the family, she needed her!

Issy was older now and had been brave through most of the treatments so far, but she was attached to that bear. Whatever treatment Issy went through, the doctors and nurses made sure that Marcie got it too.

It had become her little cancer buddy.

"Iss...sweetheart, we can't go home..." stated Piper in calm voice. She didn't want to upset her anymore than she already was, but they couldn't afford to be late for the appointment. The place was run like clockwork. They were already pushing it now. They should have been up there five minutes ago.

"How about if I go home and get Marcie?" offered Alex as she knelt down to face Issy.

The elevator door had just chimed opened in front of them and a few people spilled out, but neither of them paid any attention to the elevator anymore. All their attention was focused on the upset six-year-old.

"You have work!" whispered Piper as she tore her eyes away from Issy and locked eyes with her wife. Alex always stayed for the first half-hour before heading off to work. Piper still owned Popi but had a small group of people taking control of it for the moment while she focused on her family.

"I can be late," explained Alex slowly. "Scott can hold down the place for a few hours." Scott was the assistant manger and the owner's son. He wouldn't mind one bit if Alex said she would be late coming in. He knew all about their current situation with Issy. He had even offered for her to take time off, but she had refused. She needed to work, not only for financial reasons, but it also was a distraction from what was going on currently in her life.

Piper frowned at this. "Are you sure?"

"Pipes, yes! It's fine," whispered Alex towards her wife before turning attention onto Issy. "What do you think, kid? Does that sound good? You stay here with Mommy, and I'll go home and get Marcie for you?"

Issy had calmed slightly down by this point. She had stopped crying as she rubbed her nose with her hand and hiccupped slightly. Her brown eyes locked onto Alex as she nodded her head.

"Yes," she whispered. As long as she got Marcie that was fine with her.

Alex smiled as she ran her hand down Issy's arm and kissed her cheek.

"I'll be back, kid!" she whispered into her stepdaughter's ear before standing up.

"Alex," whispered Piper as she too stood up.

Alex's eyes searched Piper's face in puzzlement. "Yeah?"

"Thank you."

A small smile appeared on Alex's face at this. "No problem, kid," she whispered as she leaned forward and kissed Piper on the lips before heading back out to the parking lot to where the car was. As she left the hospital, she reached for her phone in the back pocket of her jeans. She had a phone call to make.

xxx

Issy clung to Marcie the bear the moment that Alex handed it to her.

The six-year-old had had another melt down as the nurse had tried to insert the IV into her. She hadn't wanted to do chemo, not until Marcie got here. She couldn't go through with it until she had her bear.

Between the ages of two and three, Issy had been very attached to this yellow blanket that she'd had since she was a baby. But over the past years, Issy hadn't been attached to anything really as security. Not until now that was.

Marcie is what seemed to comfort her and keep her calm through chemo.

She knew she had told Mommy that she was a brave girl and _would_ be a brave girl, but she needed Marcie to do so. She was her friend through all of this. She had met some of the other kids on the floor who were going through this cancer thing like she was. But they weren't her friends, she thought.

Not like Marcie was.

She knew she was just a stuffed bear, and she was too old for baby things like believing a toy was her friend. But Marcie wasn't just a toy to her. She was real and could understand what Issy was going through for Marcie was going through with it too. Issy closed her eyes as she continued to clench Marcie, who was wearing a pink tutu today. She had dressed her up in her American Doll, Suzy's ballet outfit. Suzy hadn't minded sharing her outfit with Marcie. She hadn't needed it. She didn't have ballet today. She was going to school, so she was going to wear her floral dress.

Piper stroked her daughter's hair as she locked eyes with Alex and mouthed "Thank you" to her.

Alex returned the smile as she stood on the other side of Issy.

The room was silent for a moment before Issy looked up at Alex.

"Thank you, Momma," she whispered.

Alex's smile deepened as she peered down at the little girl. She didn't think she would ever get over Issy calling her Momma. The little girl had only started to call her that just a few months ago after she and Piper had gotten married in October. However, every time Issy called her that brought such joy to her. She never thought she would be happy to be called Momma, but she would be lying if she said that she wasn't.

Because she fucking was.

When Issy had first said it to her, it had taken her by surprise. She and Piper had never discussed what Issy or even what this new baby would call her. Alex was perfectly fine with being known as Alex by her stepdaughter. However, Issy had taken upon herself to change Alex's title. She called her other stepmother "Momma Naomi." So why couldn't she call Alex "Momma" too?

xxx

Alex chewed on the cuticle of her thumbnail as she found herself staring out the window again. It was snowing heavily outside.

There was a blizzard coming or so the weather forecaster had announced during the six o'clock news. She hadn't paid much attention though, the TV having faded into background noise. She had more pressing issues to think about.

The house was quiet and still as she stood there at the window. It was just past eleven at night.

She couldn't sleep, which wasn't all that surprising; she didn't sleep most nights now. She tried, but she just couldn't close her eyes knowing the next day would hold the same troubles. She felt like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders.

Alex had always been independent; even from an early age she had always looked out for herself when her mother wasn't able to be around. But now she had others to look after, people who were counting on her. She had a family now to think about, something she'd never had before. Yes, she'd her mom growing up, but for the most part, her mom had been busy working, trying to support the both of them. Alex had always known that if she was ever going to have a family, she would want to be financially stable. She didn't want her kids to grow up like she had, always wondering if your mom paid the bills that month.

But it wasn't just money that was burdening her at the moment. She and Piper had enough to get by with. Popi was still raking in dollars, and her job made enough as well for them to live on.

But Alex felt like it was her sole responsibility to keep everyone's emotions and spirits up. Piper, she knew, was on the verge of losing it and was getting closer and closer with every passing day. And that scared her. She'd seen Piper lose it before. She knew that dark place that her wife had hidden inside of her. She hated to think that Piper yet again was so close to falling down that hole. She felt like she had to watch her more than ever now, not just because she feared that Piper would harm herself. But also because of that unborn baby growing inside of her.

At their last appointment to the OBGYN, the doctor had said that Piper's blood pressure was higher than she would like it to be. Piper was putting herself in distress and ultimately putting their unborn daughter in danger. It was still early, but the doctor had been warning Piper to take it easy. This scared Alex. She hated how she had to remind Piper now to take her prenatal vitamins in the morning, the same way the blonde reminded Issy to take her Flintstone vitamins. She hated how she had to treat Piper like a child, telling her when to take a nap and such. She was just worried about the baby, and she knew how Piper could get.

And then there was Issy.

The little girl had been a trooper the last few weeks, but she could tell that Issy was slowly losing it too. There were some days that you wouldn't guess that she was sick. But then there were others like today...which weren't so good for her. The chemo Issy was receiving at the moment not only drained all her energy but also made her sick to her stomach. The poor child could hardly keep anything down.

When Alex had gone into Issy's room earlier to read her a bedtime story and tuck her into bed, the little girl had asked her something that had broken her heart to hear. It would break anyone's heart to hear come from such a small child.

She had asked if she was dying.

It was a good thing that Piper hadn't heard her ask, thought Alex. No mother should have to experience their child asking if they were dying, much less answer it.

Alex had tried to ignore Issy and pretended she hadn't heard the question by making a fuss, cleaning up the books on Issy's bookshelf, but the little girl wouldn't let it go. She had asked Alex again until she'd answered her.

_"Am I dying, Momma?" _

_Alex had always believed in honesty, no matter what the situation was or how difficult the truth would be for the other person to hear. She had always tried to tell the truth and be honest. That's why she had told Piper about what she had done to Pennsatucky all those years ago. It had probably been one of the hardest things she had ever done. But she hadn't wanted to start over with Piper on a bed of lies._

_It had taken Alex a good moment to find her voice before answering Issy. But how could you tell a six-year-old that there was a good chance they could die before their seventh birthday? _

_After what had seemed like forever, staring into those rich brown eyes of Issy's, Alex finally answered. "No, not yet," she'd spoke calmly, trying not to let her real emotions come through. She couldn't break down in front of Issy. She had already seen her mother and Lorna do that over her. She didn't need to see another adult in her life, falling apart. _

_Alex smiled slightly at Issy as she reached out and brushed a few hairs off of her face. "But you are very sick." _

_"I have cancer," stated Issy. _

_"Yes, you do," replied Alex grimly. "And that's why you need to fight. Cancer isn't like a cold or the flu. It's a hard illness to get better from...but people do get better, Issy, and live long lives. And it's okay to be scared. But you need to remember that you are strong and can beat this. That you can get better. You need to kick cancer's ass!" _

_Issy's face broke out into a wide-eyed grin at this. She loved to hear Alex swear like she had. The little girl giggled as she continued to look on at her stepmother in amusement. _

_"Don't tell Mommy I said that, okay?!" spoke Alex. "It will be our little secret!" _

_Issy nodded her head at Alex. "I won't tell Mommy!" _

_"Pinkie promise?" _

_"Pinkie promise!" whispered Issy as she curled her smallest finger around Alex's. _

As Alex thought back to that look on Issy's face when she had asked that dreaded question, how serious and grown up it had looked on her six-year-old face, tears brimmed her eyes.

She could feel her walls begin to crumble as an overwhelming amount of emotion washed over her suddenly. She had been keeping it all built in, until now. She hadn't allowed herself to cry really. She couldn't. She had been remaining strong for her family. But there was only so much the human body could keep in before it became too much.

Her shoulders began to shake as a sob escaped from her lips. Her right hand immediately flew to her mouth, muffling her cries, but it did no good, as the tears and sobbing continued. It seemed like the harder she fought to gain control, the harder she cried. She had no power over her body or emotions, just like she had no control over the current situation.

She bit down hard on her knuckle as she pressed her forehead against the cold glass of the window, her other hand wrapped around her sweatshirt, grasping the material of it hard between her fingers.

Alex continued to cry, ugly fat tears for a few moments longer before her sadness and hopelessness turned to bitter anger.

She turned away from the window suddenly and reached out for the nearest object her hand came into contact with and hurled it across the living room. She watched it fly across the room before cracking against the wall. The small object made a loud noise as it smashed into pieces before falling to the floor.

The sound echoed through the room for a moment before fading into a deafening silence. Alex could feel her blood pulsing through her veins as her heart continued to race against her chest cavity. She was calmer now as she tried to regain control of her breathing and stared at the spot on the wall were the object had came into contact with.

She stood there frozen for a second, half-expecting for Piper to come into the room, wondering what she was doing.

However, she remained alone.

Her little fit of rage hadn't awoken anyone.

She closed her eyes and let out a sigh before slowly enclosing the space between her and the mess on the floor, feeling her body relax with each step. As she got closer, however, her emotions began returned to fill the space in her throat. She could feel the tears stinging her eyes once again as she knelt down and realized what she had just thrown.

It hadn't been just some random object, but the pale blue clay vase that Issy had made for her last year for her birthday. The tears once again began to fall rapidly as she picked up one of the broken clay fragments and stared at it.

"Fuck," she swore.

* * *

Thanks for reading.

Julie


	6. Chapter 5

Do not own Orange Is the New Black or any of the characters.

Thanks for the support again on the last chapter! I am glade to hear that some of you are still with me on this journey. :)

Props go out to fig-aruna for being such an awesome beta!

* * *

**Overcast**

**_Chapter 5_**

_Issy's Day Off_

_February 2024_

Issy's eyes welled up with tears as she stared at herself in the bathroom mirror. There was not a strand of hair left on her head.

She was completely bald.

She looked like an old man, she thought as she lifted a hand and touched her scalp. Mommy had said that her hair would fall out, but she hadn't expected it to be so soon. The kids in school would surely make fun of her now. She knew it wasn't nice to make fun of others, and they knew she was sick, but she looked so alien as her dark brown eyes stared back at her. Of course they would make fun of her, she thought. She dreaded going to school.

But Mommy said that she had to go. Just because she had cancer wasn't an excuse. There were other kids out there who would wish to go to school everyday like she did. She wasn't supposed to let having cancer stop her from living her everyday life. The doctor said they should continue on living their lives like they normally would as a family. That included going to school.

A small sigh escaped the child's lips as she stepped off of the stepping stool in front of the sink and left the room.

She was supposed to be getting ready for school, but she was taking her time. She really didn't want to go.

"Issy, what are you still doing in your pyjamas?" asked Piper as she saw her daughter still dressed in one of Larry's old t-shirts that Issy used as a nightgown. The six-year-old looked up at her at this and met her eye. "We need to leave soon, or else you are going to be late for school."

Issy just continued to stare up at Piper with those big round puppy dog eyes of hers.

However, the look wouldn't work on Piper. She had long ago mastered how to say no to it. "Isabelle Nicole," she spoke firmly as she looked down at her daughter with her hands on her hips.

"Mommy, I don't want to go!" whispered Issy in a small voice.

"Isa," whispered Piper. Her voice was softer now as she continued to look at her daughter. She knew that Issy didn't want to go to school because of what the kids did to her. But she had already missed the last two days, and she really couldn't afford to miss another... The doctor had told them to go about their lives as normally as possible. And one of those elements was going to school. Piper wanted Issy to continue to get an education while she still could. The doctors were already talking about surgery. Issy really only needed two more chemo treatments before the tumour would be small enough to remove. And she knew that after the surgery, things would be different for Issy. Who knew how long it would take her to recover from it... Plus, there would be even more chemo after that and maybe even radiation too...

"No, Mommy. No school!" cried out Issy. She really didn't want to go. She'd rather stay home with Mommy like she had the past few days. They had fun together. Mommy had taken her to the warehouse of her soap company, and they had made soap together. She very much wanted to do that again. That was way better then school.

"Issy, please."

"What's wrong?" asked Alex as she appeared suddenly in the hallway behind Piper. She looked between her wife and stepdaughter and back.

"Mommy won't let me stay home from school," stated Issy as she looked up at Alex. Momma would surely allow her to stay home, she thought.

"Don't you dare tell her she can," warned Piper as she glanced over her shoulder at Alex. She knew how much of a softy Alex could be when it came to the six-year-old.

Alex raised both her eyebrows as she met her wife's eye. She was caught off guard by what Piper had just said. She had clearly walked in on something, she thought. The brunette was quiet for a moment as she switched her gaze between Piper and Issy. She understood both of their point of views. Issy was acting like any other kid her age would...

"Issy," stated Alex slowly. "You have to listen to your mom here. You have to go to school." The older woman knew that she was treading on thin ice here. She hated to tell the kid no, just in general, but most definitely now that she was seeing that look on Issy's face.

Issy wasn't happy to hear this. She stuck out her lower lip as she pouted up at Alex. "But the others kids make fun of me...I don't want to go..." she whispered in a quiet voice. "Please."

Alex just stared at the kid for a second. She knew that part of it was an act that Issy was giving her, but she did know that the kid was having a hard time at school at the moment. She knew how mean kids could be at that age to one another. She hated that Issy had to go through that. It broke her heart to see that look on the kid's face. It reminded her too much of Piper in Litchfield.

She hated to see any of the Chapman women sad.

"Issy, I know it's hard," whispered Piper as she knelt down in front of her daughter as best as she could with her massive stomach. "But you have to go to school. Remember what we talked about..."

Piper stroked the side of Issy's face as she tried to comfort the upset little girl. She hated to see her daughter in so much pain like this. And of course when she heard that the other kids were making fun of her because of her bald head, she had wanted to kick their asses. But she had always taught Issy that fighting wasn't the answer and that she shouldn't let words get her down.

"Words can't hurt me," Issy's voice was barely above a whisper as she stared into Piper. She knew that Mommy wanted her to be a brave, big girl. And she was trying to be, she really was. But she didn't think it was fair that she got teased. She was the one sick, not the other kids. When the teasing had started she had tried to ignore it, but that hadn't worked. She had then gone to the teacher, who had told the kids off. And then the teasing had stopped for a day or two. But they still made fun of her for not having any hair.

Nothing seemed to stop them.

Piper smiled at her daughter, "That's my baby."

Issy blinked her eyes as she tried to return the smile towards her mom.

Piper once again stroked Issy's cheek before leaning forward and kissing her forehead before trying to stand up.

"Now go get dressed, and Alex will drive you to school," explained Piper as she glanced over at her wife to confirm this.

Alex adjusted her glasses and nodded in reply to this. She loved driving Issy to school. Which surprised her, but she really did enjoy being another mother to Issy. She had never would had thought she would fall into motherhood like she had. It hadn't always been a smooth transition, this co-parenting with Piper, but they were slowly getting it.

* * *

_October 2022_

"Fuck!"

"FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!" cried out Piper in frustration.

"Hey, that's my word..." teased Alex as she leaned against the doorframe of the room and peered over at her girlfriend of six months.

Piper just glared at Alex at this. She was in no mood to be teased at the moment. She was extremely stressed; Larry had yet again bailed on picking up Issy for school. He was supposed to be watching her for the weekend, but something had come up, and he wouldn't be able to take care of her until tomorrow. That didn't help the blonde out much, Piper thought. Piper was supposed to be going away on business for the weekend. She had asked Larry specifically to take Issy this weekend for that reason.

"What's wrong?" asked Alex after a moment had passed. She could tell that Piper was upset about something, she just couldn't figure out what.

"Fucking Larry!" cried out Piper as she slammed her hands down onto the surface of the kitchen counter.

"He can't make it?"

"He can't pick Issy up from school...something about some big new story...I don't fucking know. He can't pick her up until tomorrow morning," explained Piper to her girlfriend. She was trying to remain calm but was failing. Larry had been good over the past few months with picking up Issy. They had almost gotten into a routine of sorts.

"I can pick her up," whispered Alex as she took a step towards Piper. Over the past six months, she had gotten to know Issy better and had even watched her once or twice when Piper was in a bind like she was now.

Piper locked eyes with Alex at this and studied her face for a moment. "Al..." she began to speak.

"I can pick her up," spoke Alex again, cutting the blonde off.

Piper didn't say anything right away at this. She loved Alex, and she knew that she loved Issy. But she had been a single parent for so long, she wasn't used to people offering to do things for her like Alex was offering to now. Yes, she asked Nicky and Lorna at times. But Alex was different. Especially with their history involving Issy. She didn't want to take advantage of Alex in any way when it came to Issy. Things were going well with them, but it was still new for the former lovers.

"I don't mind," continued on Alex as she came to stand beside Piper. And it wasn't a lie. She really didn't mind picking up Issy from school and staying with her for the night. She knew how important this business trip was to Piper, and she shouldn't have to give it up just because her ex couldn't get his shit together.

Piper just stared at Alex before her face broke out into a watery smile.

"Thank you," she whispered as she threw her arms around Alex's neck and hugged her.

"No problem, kid," whispered Alex as she slipped her arms around the blonde's waist and pulled her close to her.

* * *

_February 2024_

"Well...here we are, kid," spoke Alex as she pulled the car up in front of Issy's school and turned off the engine. She could sense that Issy was nervous. Usually the kid talked her ear off, but this morning she had been extremely quiet.

Issy was quiet as she looked out the window, towards the school grounds before glancing back over at Alex. Her eyes were doll-like as she looked on at stepmother. Nervous butterflies fluttered in the pit of her stomach. She'd rather be at the hospital, she thought, then to have to walk into the school building. The hospital was still a scary place for her. However, it wasn't so bad. The nurses and doctors were nice to her, and there were other kids like her there too.

No one made fun of her there.

"Please don't make me go," whispered Issy towards Alex.

Alex hated to hear the pain in the little girl's voice. It broke her heart to think about the pain she was going through at the moment. She didn't think it was fair that Issy was going through cancer and had to face being bullied at school too. She pursed her lips slightly as she debated on what to say. She knew there was nothing really she _could_ say that would make Issy feel better.

She tore her eyes away from the little girl for a second and focused her attention onto the vehicle parked in front of her, where two girls were getting out. She watched as the older of the two take the younger girl's hand and began leading her towards the school. The two girls stopped for a moment on the sidewalk to wave goodbye at the person in the vehicle before continuing their way to the main building. Alex couldn't help but smile slightly at the sight of these two girls. She couldn't wait until the baby was born, she thought.

In a couple of years, that would be her dropping her two girls off at school, Issy and little Miss No Name.

Her eyes followed the two sisters until they were mere spots on the school grounds before turning her attention back onto Issy, who was looking up at her with those dark eyes of hers.

A morbid thought filled Alex's mind as she stared at the bald child – the idea that Issy might not be around to hold her sister's hand and take her to school like that. Issy could easily die in the next few months... Yes, she was currently undergoing treatment, and everything was going well or so the doctor kept telling them. But that didn't change the dark threat that loomed over their shoulders.

Death had ways of sneaking up on you when you least expected it. Sometimes it was drawn out painfully as with cancer. And sometimes it was quick like the snap of your fingers.

Her mother was an example of that.

Suzanne Vause's death had been quick. Alex hadn't even gotten to say goodbye which had made it even worse for her. She had called her mom the previous night from the Paris apartment she'd shared with Piper, telling her mom about all the sights and monuments she and Piper had visited that day. Alex remembered how she hadn't wanted to go as she'd had too much work to do for the cartel. But Piper had begged and pouted until she agreed to go out with the blonde, exploring the city. She had followed Piper around like a puppy, walking through the flea markets that lined the Paris streets and drinking espresso. She still remembered the laughter in her mother's voice as she told her about a funny incident between Piper and a street vendor.

Alex was overcome with sadness, thinking about that phone call and the great woman her mother had been. She hoped she would be half as good of a mother to Issy and her own daughter as Suzanne had been to her.

Another memory filled the brunette's mind at this, a happier one. Alex had been around Issy's age or just a year older. Her mother had a rare day off and instead of dropping off Alex had school, she had taken her into the City. Her mother had grinned at Alex from the driver's seat of their old rusty car, explaining they were pulling a Ferris Bueller and taking the day off. It had been one of the best days of her childhood, she remembered.

Alex's green eyes continued to look at Issy before glancing back up at the school. If Issy was going to go to school, she would have to go soon. The bell was about to ring, she realized, as she glanced over to the clock on the display board.

Issy watched her intensely as Alex reached suddenly for her phone.

"Who are you calling?" asked the six-year-old with curiosity. A part of her was afraid that Alex was calling her teacher or something to come get her.

Alex just grinned at the little girl as she pressed the phone to her ear. "The school!"

Her grin deepened as she saw the panicked look on the little girl's face. She thought she was getting her into trouble or something.

The phone rang three times before the secretary answered and greeted Alex cheerfully.

"Hi there, my name is Piper Chapman. My daughter Isabelle Bloom-Chapman is a first-grade student at the school," spoke Alex carefully into the phone in her best Piper voice.

"Oh, hello, Mrs. Chapman," greeted the secretary. Everyone at the school knew who Issy was and about her condition. "How is Issy doing today?"

"Unfortunately, not too well. She's still a little under the weather from her chemo treatment on Wednesday," explained Alex. She hated to lie like she was, but it was all for a good reason.

"Oh, that's too bad to hear," sighed the secretary into the phone. "We're all praying for her here. She's a very sweet girl."

"Thank you," stated Alex as she winked at Issy, who was looking back at her with amusement. "It means a lot that you are thinking of her."

Alex continued to talk to the secretary for a few moments longer before hanging up the phone.

"Just one more phone call, kid, and we can kick this joint," explained Alex towards Issy. She just had to phone her work and tell them she wasn't coming in today.

Issy grinned with joy back at Alex. She couldn't believe what Alex had just done for her. She was the coolest, she thought as she continued to look at her stepmother. Auntie Nicky had always been the coolest to her, but Momma Alex was beating her in the cool race right now.

"So, where should we go?" asked Alex as she finished her phone call and looked over at the six-year-old.

"I don't know!" cried out Issy in excitement. She was too overwhelmed that she didn't have to go to school.

"Well, the day is all yours, kid!" Alex answered back as she started the car and smiled at her stepdaughter. Piper she knew would be pissed for sure that she was pulling Issy out of school for the day, but seeing the joy on Issy's face was all worth it.

* * *

_October 2022_

"Hi, Alex!" cried out Issy as she came running towards Alex in the playground. The five-year-old had been thrilled to hear that Alex was picking her up from school that day. She had been a little upset that her daddy wasn't, but she was just as happy to have Alex.

"Hey, Kid!" greeted back Alex as the little girl smiled up at her. She couldn't help but smile back.

"I'm excited that you're picking me up from school!" spoke Issy in a rush of excitement to the brunette.

"I am too," replied back Alex as she took the little girl's backpack from her and slung it over her own shoulder.

"Are you watching me tonight too?" Issy asked as she looked up at Alex who casually took her hand.

"Yep," replied Alex as she began leading Issy to her car. "Your mom went away to Boston for the weekend, so it's just going to be you and me tonight, and your daddy is picking you up in the morning!"

"Cool!" grinned Issy at this.

Alex couldn't help but chuckle in amusement at the kid. She never thought she would ever look forward to spending the night babysitting, but here she was. It would also be weird staying over at Piper's apartment without her being there. The only times she'd slept over were nights when Issy wasn't there. It wasn't that Piper was shy about her relationship with her in front of her daughter. It was just that they were still trying to figure some things out and hadn't really established the whole "let's stay the night" thing. Well, they had, but, again, only when Issy was with Larry.

Piper wasn't ready to merge her family life with her love life yet...which Alex understood.

But she was hoping that babysitting Issy for the night would show Piper that they could make this thing work for real this time. She knew that there was still some hesitation on both of their parts. They didn't want to rush into anything even though it had been a few months since they'd gotten back together. But Alex was determined.

She wanted this.

* * *

_February 2024_

It had started to snow slightly as Alex parked the car in front of the old brownstone. She and Issy were just coming back from visiting the Bronx Zoo and were now dropping in on the Nichols family.

Alex smiled at Issy as she took her hand and lead her up the porch stairs towards the front door. The day had been going surprisingly well. It still took her aback at times, getting a glimpse into how Issy saw the world. The kid was always opening her eyes to new things. Alex had seen a good portion of the world on her travels and through her other life experiences, but nothing compared to the world that was experienced through the eyes of a six-year-old.

At the zoo, Issy had talked her ear off about the different animals and which one was her favourite at the moment. Currently, the little girl had a thing for penguins. The last time they had visited the zoo had been in the summer, and it had been the tigers then.

"Well, well, well," drawled Nicky as she opened the door and spied Alex and Issy standing on her doorstep. "What do we have here?"

"SURPRISE!" cried out Issy as she looked up at her godmother.

"Shouldn't you be in school?" asked Nicky as she smiled down at the little girl. It was just past one in the afternoon, and Nicky knew that Issy was usually at school during this time.

"We're playing hooky!" cried Issy with glee in her eyes. She still couldn't get over how Momma Alex had pulled her out of school. This had been the best day, she thought.

"Hooky!?" Nicky cocked an eyebrow as she looked away from Issy and up towards Alex.

Alex just smiled smugly back at her friend. She could see the wheels turning in the shorter woman's head.

"We're being like Ferris Bueller!" Issy explained to Nicky. She had no idea really who that was, but Alex had explained to her earlier that he was like the hero of her generation. That he was the coolest.

Nicky couldn't help but smile at this. She doubted that Issy had any idea who Ferris Bueller was. That movie was sadly way past the little girl's lifetime, but she'd make sure to introduce the little Chapman to it when she was old enough.

"I'm assuming Mommy doesn't know about this though," Nicky drew out quietly as she looked between Alex and Issy and back. There would be no way in hell that Piper would be okay with having Issy play hooky from school. Granted, it was only the first grade, but still.

"Nope!" whispered out Issy as she glanced up at Alex. "It's a secret!"

"It's a secret," confirmed Alex as she glanced back at Nicky.

Nicky just shook her head slightly before gesturing for them to come into the house. Lorna and Luca would be happy to see them.

xxx

"I can't believe he's going to be a year old soon," murmured Alex from her seat on the couch, watching as Baby Luca, who had just started walking, screamed with glee as Issy pretended to chase after him. He was so big now, she thought as she watched him wobble on his two little legs. He was like a truck, she thought. He was a hefty little guy for someone who'd come out of such a petite woman like Lorna. Luca looked like Lorna too with his olive complexion and dark hair and eyes.

He was a beautiful little boy, Alex thought as a smile spread across the baby's face at something silly Issy had just done to make him laugh.

Luca loved Issy.

"You and me both," agreed Lorna with a smile towards Alex. The last year had flown by it seemed. "And soon it'll be _your_ baby who'll be running around here."

Alex just smiled stiffly in reply at this as she brought the coffee mug she had in her hands up to her lips and drank greedily from it. She was once again torn between wanting for that year to happen to see her daughter grow up from a tiny infant to a hefty toddler like Luca and not wanting it to happen. She didn't want to think about what the future held for all of them at the moment. Not because she didn't want to see her daughter grow up. She did. But It was more the question of whether Issy would be there or not...

She closed her eyes and shook her head slightly as if to erase those morbid thoughts from her mind. She didn't want to go there, not now and not ever, really. She couldn't imagine her life without Issy now. Just like she couldn't imagine her life without Piper. She didn't _want_ a life without them.

They were her everything.

Lorna and Alex continued to chat and watch as Issy, Luca, and Nicky all played together.

It was amazing, thought Alex to herself, how far they had all come from Litchfield. She had said it before, but it was the truth. Sometimes it seemed like just yesterday she was hanging out with Nicky in the stairwell of the prison, trying to see how many crackers she could shove in her mouth. Not only had they all made it out of that joint alive and reasonably sane, but they had also kept in touch. They were all so much more grown-up since then. They were not only spouses, but also parents now. They were all raising a new generation of kids. And the best part was that they were doing it together.

As Alex finished off her coffee, Issy came towards her. Gone from her face was the carefree smile from earlier. The little girl was very pale as she came to rest slowly in her stepmom's lap.

A worried look immediately spread across Alex's face as she placed her now empty mug onto the coffee table in front of her and looked at Issy closely. "What's up, kid?" asked Alex.

"I don't feel well," whispered Issy as she locked eyes with Alex and rested her head on the woman's shoulder. She felt very cold and dizzy suddenly.

Alex immediately put an arm around Issy's waist while her other stroked her crown. The little girl was indeed warm, she thought, as she pressed her hand to her forehead. She must have a fever, thought Alex. God, she wished Piper was here... The blonde was much better at diagnosing her daughter's symptoms then she was.

"Does she feel warm to you?" she asked as she looked up at Nicky, who was picking up a screaming Luca off of the floor. It was the kid's nap time now.

Nicky placed Luca on her hip as she came towards where Alex was seated on the couch. She reached out with her free hand and touched her goddaughter's forehead, frowning slightly at what she felt. Issy was definitely warm.

"She has a fever," stated Nicky as she adjusted Luca on her hips and looked at Alex.

"I was afraid of that..." whispered Alex as she glanced away from Nicky and returned her attention back to Issy.

A blanket of silence fell over the room as the two friends continued to look worriedly down at the six-year-old who had suddenly become very quiet. Luca too had stopped fussing at this point and was resting his head on Nicky's shoulder, sucking his thumb. His brown eyes were heavy with sleep.

"I can get Lorna to check for you," spoke Nicky, breaking the silence. "But I would take her to the hospital if I were you, Vause."

Alex was afraid to hear this. It wasn't the hospital part that scared her, really. It was more having to make a phone call to Piper and explaining how and why she was at the hospital. She didn't say anything as she continued to look at Issy, who was leaning her small body into Alex as if she was trying to seek warmth from her.

* * *

Thanks for reading!

Julie


	7. Chapter 6

Do not own Orange Is the New Black or any of the characters.

This chapter is a bit on the shorter side, I hope you all don't mind too much.

Thanks.

* * *

**Overcast**

_**Chapter 6**_

_It's All Going To Be Okay_

_February 2024_

Piper was in the middle of preparing dinner when the house phone went off. She immediately turned off the faucet, where she was washing a bowl of carrots and reached for the receiver. She glanced briefly down at the caller display before answering it.

"Hey," answered Piper breezily as she cradled the phone between her shoulder and cheek before going back to her carrots.

"Hey," replied Alex on the other line.

"I was just going to call you...when are you coming home tonight? Am I picking up Issy from school, or are you?" asked Piper as she dumped the bowl of carrots onto a dish towel she had laid out on the counter and began to dry them off. She had realized early that she and Alex hadn't double-checked their plans for the day. Usually, Alex picked up Issy from school, but she couldn't remember if Alex had said if she was closing the floral shop or not that night.

"Um..." murmured Alex in response. "Look, Pipes. There is something I need to tell you..."

Piper stopped briefly from what she was doing and took the phone into her hand as she straightened her back. "What's wrong?" she asked. She could sense by Alex's tone that something was wrong.

"Look..." began Alex. "Are you sitting?"

"No?" whispered Piper as her forehead wrinkled in worried confusion. She didn't like what Alex was getting at. "I'm cutting a carrot at the moment...Alex, what the fuck is going on!?"

"Pipes, stop cutting the carrot and please take a seat. what I am going to tell you is important..." There was a strain to Alex's voice.

An unnerving feeling filled Piper's stomach at this. She didn't like the sound of this. "Okay. Okay," she whispered in response to her wife as she walked over to the kitchen table and took a seat at it.

"Are you sitting?" asked Alex after a moment had passed.

"Yes," whispered Piper, impatiently. "Now fucking tell me what's wrong? You're scaring me, Alex!"

"I'm at the hospital," Alex answered quickly in one fluid breath.

"You're where!?" Piper had heard her wife pretty clearly, but she just had to hear it again to make sure.

"I'm at the hospital," repeated Alex again.

"Why the fuck are you there?" Piper was trying not to freak out, but despite her best efforts to remain calm, her voice came out high and in a panic. As she held the phone, she tried to think if Alex had some sort of doctor appointment or something she had forgotten about, but she was drawing a blank. Alex didn't go to the doctor. The only time she had ever seen Alex go to the doctor was back in the summer when they had been trying for the baby at the fertility clinic.

"Piper," whispered Alex at hearing her wife's distressed voice. "Please calm down..."

"Do not fucking tell me to calm down after telling me you are at the hospital for no fucking reason!?" cried Piper into the phone. She was not only panicking now, but was pissed off that Alex wouldn't tell her why she was there.

"It's Issy," spoke Alex after a moment had passed between them.

"Issy?" The panic once again returned to Piper's voice at this. "Issy's at school!" The blonde glanced over at the clock to confirm this. It was only 2pm at the moment. Issy didn't get out until another hour. So there was no way that Issy was with Alex now.

"She didn't go to school today, Pipes," Alex was speaking slowly as she confessed to her wife that her daughter hadn't gone to school that day.

"What do you mean she didn't go to school today? I saw her fucking leave this morning with you..." Piper's voice trailed off slightly as she connected the dots, "You didn't drop her off."

Alex sighed into the phone at this. "No I didn't."

Piper didn't say anything for the longest time after this. She was still trying to process what Alex had just told her about allowing Issy to skim school that day. And now Issy was in the hospital. As much as she wanted to yell at her wife for what she had done, she pushed it to the side. Her baby needed her at the moment as she switched into mother bear mode.

"I'm on my way," she spoke quickly into the phone before hanging up on Alex without another word.

xxx

Alex was a fit of nerves as she sat in the waiting room of the cancer wing waiting for Piper to arrive.

You really fucked up this time, thought Alex bitterly to herself as she ran her hands frantically through her hair. She'd thought she would be able to pull it off, that she'd be able to get Issy home safe and sound without Piper ever finding out that she had let her play hooky. But of course, she couldn't have predicted that Issy would get a fever halfway through the day.

But still, she should've fucking known better, she thought. She was supposed to be setting an example for her stepdaughter. She was supposed to be the adult here, not the kid. Wasn't that what Piper was always telling her. That she needed to be Issy's mom now, not her friend like she had been before. And she more than well understood that. It was just... she wanted to see Issy smile, especially after all she had been through in the last couple of weeks. No kid should have to go through what she was going through at the moment.

"Here," whispered Nicky as she nudged Alex's shoulder, drawing her attention.

Alex tore her eyes away from the elevator doors, which she had been watching like a hawk waiting for Piper. She glanced up at Nicky who was holding out a paper cup to her.

"This stuff is probably as crappy as the watered-down shit they served us at Litchfield," commented Nicky as Alex took the cup from her hand, "But it's better than nothing." The blonde smirked as she took a sip from her own cup and made a face at the weak-tasting coffee.

Alex didn't say anything as she once again turned her attention to the elevator doors. She clenched the warm cup in her hands but made no attempt to drink it.

Nicky just looked down at the brunette for a second longer before taking the hard plastic seat beside her.

Nicky had decided to tag along with Alex and Issy to the hospital while Lorna stayed home with Luca. They didn't all need to be there, they had decided. No one was really sure what was wrong with Issy; she had a fever, but that was it. But knowing that it was a fever which had lead them to find out she had cancer, they weren't take any chances.

Issy had immediately been whisked away by the hospital staff after arriving at the hospital. They were running tests on her now. The doctor had said that the fever could be nothing serious, but he was going to make sure the cancer hadn't spread any further than it already had.

Five minutes or so passed before Piper stepped off the elevator. Alex watched her from a distance as she touched her growing stomach and looked around the hallway for a moment before heading towards the nurses' station.

Alex waited until Piper was in earshot before rising to her feet and calling out her name.

Piper immediately stopped walking and looked around before her eyes fell onto Alex. She walked briskly over to where Alex and Nicky were seated, her eyes wide and frantic.

"Where is she?" asked Piper in a rush as her eyes searched Alex's for an answer. She wanted to see her little girl.

"Pipes," whispered Alex tenderly towards her wife. She hated to see her so upset like this. "Take a seat."

Piper shook her head from side to side at Alex. She didn't want to take a fucking seat. She wanted to see her baby, and she wanted to see her now!

"I want to see my baby!" her voice came out high as her eyes welled up suddenly with tears. She knew that she was right on the verge of losing it, but what else could she be. On the cab ride here, she had kept thinking the worse had happened to her little girl. She needed to see her to make sure she was okay...

"She's going to be okay," spoke Alex as she tried to get Piper to calm down. "She's with the doctors at the moment, getting tests done..." Alex had placed her untouched cup of coffee down onto the floor beside the chair before trying to take Piper into her arms.

However, Piper wasn't having it, and she took an immediate step back from Alex.

"NO!" cried out the blonde loudly, causing a few others around them to look in their direction. "I want to see my baby!"

Alex just stood there in shock. It had been a while since Piper had refused her touch like that, and the moment brought back terrible memories. She couldn't help but admit that it hurt, but at the same time, she knew that she deserved it.

The couple just stared at each other for a moment before Nicky interrupted them. The doctor was making his way towards them now.

xxx

Issy was sleeping as they entered the hospital room.

The doctor had just finished explained that Issy's cancer hadn't spread. She simply had a fever which could have been a side affect from her chemo treatment two days ago. But just to be on the safe side, they were going to keep her overnight to monitor and treat the fever until it broke.

Piper's impulse was to insist that she stay at her little girl's side but ultimately didn't argue with the doctor. She knew that this was the best place for her daughter to be at the moment.

No one spoke a word as everyone gathered around the sleeping child's bed. The early afternoon had bled into early evening now.

Alex rubbed her face as she stared at the peacefulness of Issy's face.

Despite losing all of her hair, her long dark eyelashes had remained. Alex couldn't help but be reminded of a doll she'd had when she was little. Its eyes had closed when you laid it down and opened when you stood it up. Issy had a similar doll back at home, though hers was much nicer than Alex's had been. It was one of those expensive American Dolls, which Piper's mother had given to Issy for her sixth birthday. It had dark brown eyes and long blonde hair, meant to resemble Issy.

The doll's name was Suzy.

Alex had smiled when Issy had first told her the doll's name. The little girl hadn't known the significance of that name, having just named it after some character from one of her favorite TV show.

Alex had once hated planning anything beyond a couple of days - such had been the life of an international heroin importer - but sometimes she wished she could predict the future. Or not even the entire future but just a day. She wished she could determine in the morning whether the rest of the day would be a good one or a bad one.

That it was all going to be okay or not.

Just to prepare her and to be able to process things before they happened. Especially on days like these. If she had known that Issy would fall ill halfway through the day, she would have never taken her to the zoo.

She couldn't help but think it was her fault that Issy had gotten a fever... The little girl had been upbeat and happy until they had gotten to Nicky's. She knew it hadn't been the smartest idea to take a already sick child to the zoo in the middle of winter, but that's where Issy had wanted to go. Plus, it had been a good day, weather-wise. The sun had been out, and the snow hadn't started fluttering down until afterwards. Issy had been bundled up in that purple hat that Lorna had knitted for her at Christmas with its matching scarf and mittens. Piper had made sure that the child had been dressed snugly and warmly for school.

But despite all this, Alex couldn't help feel guilty. And it wasn't just Issy that was making her feel this way, but about Piper too.

Piper still hadn't spoken to her since the doctor had entered and then left the room.

Piper's hands automatically went to her stomach as she felt the baby move and kick her in the ribs.

She winced slightly at this. It seemed like the baby wanted attention. She looked down at her swelling belly for a second, realizing that she really l had to invest in some maternity clothes soon as she noted the tightness of her shirt over her bump. The last time she had properly shopped for herself had been before Christmas, and she'd forgotten how big she could get in the last few months of pregnancy.

The thought quickly faded away as she shifted her attention onto her other baby. She felt her eyes being to well up with tears, but she quickly blinked them away. There was nothing to get upset about, she thought. Issy was fine...well, she wasn't any worse off than she had been this morning anyway. It was just a fever. Even the doctor had said she was okay. The fever wasn't anything to worry about...at least not now.

She chewed on her bottom lip as she continued to rub at her stomach and watching the calm rise and fall of her sleeping daughter's chest. There was something so peaceful about watching a child sleep. She had always loved to watch Issy sleep, ever since she'd been born. It was one of the things she loved most about motherhood, the feeling of the warm weight of your child as they slept against you. The sounds of their breathing filling your ears.

It was one of the things she was looking forward to most with her new bundle of joy coming soon. She couldn't wait for those midnight feedings, to feel the heat of that tiny being against her chest as she burped it and rocking the infant to sleep in her arms. Knowing that those moments awaited her in the next coming months excited her. It's what she thought about most days when reality was too much for her to handle. It's what calmed her down. This baby coming would be the calm after the storm, or so she hoped. She knew that Issy would still be in treatment come May when the baby was due, but she hoped that soon after the pall currently weighing on all of them would be over.

It was all going to be okay, she thought as she continued to rub her stomach and studied her daughter's sleeping face.

It had to be okay.

* * *

Thanks for reading.

Julie


	8. Chapter 7

Do not own Orange Is the New Black or any of the characters.

Thanks fig-aruna! :)

Thanks to everyone who is still invested in this story as I am!

* * *

**Overcast**

_**Chapter 7**_

_Parenting_

_February 2024_

It was extremely late as Piper and Alex finally returned home.

The house was completely painted in darkness. When Piper had left earlier that afternoon, she had forgotten to leave a light on. She had been in too much of a rush and dealing with too much brain overload to think about when she would be returning to the house.

The couple didn't speak one word to each other as they stripped off their winter jackets and hung them in the hall closet of the foyer, continuing the silence that had filled the car on the ride home. There had been some talking as Alex had dropped Nicky off, but after that, it had been deafeningly quiet.

The silence worried Alex more and more as she continued to throw glances at her wife. She didn't know if Piper would explode at her or not.

They had stayed at the hospital until visiting hours were over. Issy had woken up briefly but had dozed off again before they had left. Alex had gone home briefly to get Marcie. She knew that little girl wouldn't want to be without her tonight. Piper had wanted to stay overnight and nearly insisted, but the doctor had convinced her that Issy would be just fine by herself and reassured them that they would phone if anything happened.

Alex took her time taking off her black Doc Martins that she used as winter boots, as Piper waddled on ahead to the kitchen. She could feel her heart racing as she saw the kitchen light turn on and cascade a white line down the hallway towards her. She let out a deep breath as she finished taking off her left boot and placed it down on the mat besides Piper's more fashionable leather riding boots.

It was now or never, she thought as she slowly walked towards the kitchen.

Piper had her back to her as she stood at the counter cleaning up the carrots she had left hours ago. Alex watched as she placed them in the bowl and back into the fridge.

"Are you hungry?" she asked as she took a step further into the room. They hadn't exactly eaten anything while at the hospital, just junk food that Nicky had gotten from a vending machine. Issy had been thrilled to have chocolate for dinner.

Piper turned slowly and met Alex's eye at this. She knew she should at least try to eat something substantial before going to bed, but she just wasn't hungry as she continued to look at Alex. She shook her head slowly from side-to-side before averting her eyes to the floor.

"Pipes, let me make you something. You need to eat," Alex didn't want to nag the blonde, but she knew that someone had to, and it was her duty as her wife to do so.

"It's fine. I'm not hungry. I ate at the hospital," explained Piper briskly as she once again drifted her attention back onto the brunette. She knew that Alex was only concerned for the baby, but her constant hovering over her was beginning to rub her the wrong way. She was grown woman, she thought bitterly, she didn't need someone telling her when to eat and whatnot.

Alex cocked an eyebrow and just gawked at Piper in disbelief. "A bag of salt and vinegar chips doesn't count as eating, Pipes."

Piper pursed her lips and glared at her wife for a brief second before sighing. She didn't want to fight with Alex. Yes, she had been extremely pissed off earlier at her wife for pulling Issy out of school without telling her, but there were other things to worry about now. Like her little girl at the hospital. She hated how she had not been allowed to stay with Issy over night. Didn't they get she was her mother for fucking Christ sakes?! Her little girl needed her. _She_ needed her. She hated to be apart from her baby for any amount of time really. Even when she went to Larry's for the night, she missed her terribly.

"Look, let me make you something, and then we can go to bed...okay?" asked Alex, slowly. She was walking on eggshells and didn't want to fight with Piper on this either. However, she wouldn't rest on the matter until she saw her six-months-pregnant wife eat.

"Alex, please," whispered Piper, "I'm not hungry." Her blue eyes pleaded with Alex to let it go.

Alex continued to stare at Piper for a second. A part of her thought that she should just drop it. If Piper said she wasn't hungry, she should believe her. However, she couldn't. Piper had a habit of not eating when she was stressed. She remembered countless times at Litchfield where she had to force the blonde to eat. She knew that a portion of that had to do with basically being starved for six months in SHU, but another portion had to do with Piper's mental ability. The blonde had a habit of cutting everything off, including essential things like eating, when she felt her life was out of control. But Piper had to be stronger than that, she thought. She not only had Issy to think about but also that unborn little girl growing inside of her. She needed to take care of herself for that baby- _their_ baby.

"This isn't the time to be fucking selfish..." Her words came out harsher sounding than she had meant them to. The second they escaped from her lips she wished she could take them back. She knew that Piper wasn't being selfish at all. It was the last thing that Piper was being at the moment; she was growing and carrying their daughter. If anyone was being selfish in this situation, it was Alex. However, she couldn't admit that at the moment, upset with emotions herself.

Piper stared at Alex in disbelief, barely understanding what her wife had just said. She wasn't being selfish, she thought bitterly. White hot anger was slowly bubbling over her.

"I'm not being selfish!" she bit out. "I'm just not fucking hungry!"

The blonde's blue eyes were blazing as they glared at Alex. Forget what she said earlier about not being pissed because she was fucking pissed now! She hated being treated like a child, especially by her wife. From the very beginning, Alex thought she knew more than Piper about everything, but she didn't... Alex might know how to make better pancakes on Sunday mornings and was able to fix things when they broke, but Piper knew her daughter better than Alex. She knew what was best for her, and pulling her out of school, that wasn't what was best, not by far...

"For fuck's sake, Pipes!" hissed Alex. She couldn't believe that Piper didn't see what she was doing. Maybe her wife wasn't being selfish exactly, but she did have to start thinking more about their baby whom she was carrying, she thought exasperatedly. "You're carrying a baby!"

Piper couldn't hide the roll of her eyes. She was well aware that she was carrying a baby. "Oh, really?!" Her voice dripped with sarcasm. "I hadn't realized for the past six months that I was pregnant...that now explains why I am so fat! Thank you yet again for telling me what is what! What would I ever do with out you!"

"Don't act like that," replied Alex in a tired voice. Her green eyes pierced into Piper's, begging her not to act like she was. She hadn't meant to get the blonde more upset than she already was. She just wanted Piper to eat, that was fucking it!

"Act like what?" asked Piper as she took a small step towards Alex and raised an eyebrow. "No really, Alex. Please explain to me what I'm doing that you have a fucking problem with! Please enlighten me...since you know everything!" Piper's heart rate was becoming increasingly elevated as she stared down her wife. She knew she was all over the place at the moment with her thoughts, but she didn't care. She was fucking mad at the moment, and she needed to take it out on someone.

Alex took a deep breath and tried to push down her own anger. If Piper wasn't carrying her child and Issy wasn't away at the hospital, she might have yelled back at the blonde, but as it was, she definitely didn't want to push Piper over the edge any more than she already was.

"Baby, please..." her voice was barely above a whisper as her eyes pleaded with Piper to calm down.

"DO NOT FUCKING BABY ME!" cried Piper as she took a hysterical step away from Alex. "Do not talk to me like you talk to Issy! I am a grown fucking woman! I know you think I am some fucking fragile doll or something, that I am going to start fucking cutting again or something..."

Alex opened her mouth to rebut this, but before she could Piper was cutting her off. She had thought she had known why Piper was going off the rails a moment ago, but now she wasn't quite sure. They hadn't talked about Piper's self-harming in a while. Sure, the scars were still highlighted on her body, and Alex hated that they were there, but they were a part of her. Piper rarely talked about what had happened to her all those years ago, and especially after finding out what Alex had done to Pennsatucky. They had agreed that the past was the past.

"AND do not say that you don't because I know you do! I see the looks you give me sometimes... you think that I am losing my shit again like I did at Litchfield!"

The words Litchfield rang clear in the air. It was a topic of discussion that they didn't go to, ever. Piper never liked to talk about those dark days of the past. Not how she had been barely able to breathe or think once returning to the prison from SHU, how SHU had fucked her up badly. That was probably why she couldn't stand to be by herself for too long, even nowadays. It scared her still where her mind could go...the dark places that she still had inside of her... But despite the few times that she'd come close to returning to those dark places over the years, she'd never allowed herself to fully go there. She had her daughter to think about. Issy was her light at the end of the tunnel. She had stayed strong for her daughter. And she was trying to do that more than ever now because Issy needed her now.

"I'm just concerned," whispered Alex honestly. She knew she might look at Piper the same way she had at Litchfield sometimes, but she hadn't realized that Piper noticed. She couldn't afford for Piper to lose it and go back to her old ways. There was too much at stake now.

Alex tried to reach out and take Piper's hand, but Piper wouldn't let her.

Piper's breathing was slightly laboured as she continued to glare at Alex with anger in her eyes. She knew she was getting herself worked up over nothing. Alex wasn't even arguing back, but she couldn't help herself. She was pissed off. She was pissed that Issy had cancer. She was pissed that she couldn't enjoy her pregnancy with Alex. She was pissed that her little girl couldn't sleep in her own bed tonight. She was pissed that her life was once again falling apart on her. And how close she was to returning to those dark places within her.

"Oh, you're just _fucking_ concerned, are you?"

Piper knew she was now taking her anger over bigger issues out on Alex, but she couldn't help herself... She couldn't keep all her emotions at bay any longer. She needed to take it out on someone, and that was Alex... She was just so fucking mad about everything going on in her life. She didn't think it was fair that her life was in shambles yet again. She didn't get why she couldn't just live her life once in peace. What had she done that was so wrong to deserve this? She had paid for her mistakes in Litchfield...Life was supposed to be easier now. Where was her fucking happy ending that everyone else seemed to be getting?

Nicky and Lorna had gotten theirs. Where was hers and Alex's?

It wasn't supposed to be like this...They had gotten married and were having a baby. It was finally going to be their time...to have everything. But she guessed they had hoped too soon that all the bad had passed. She just didn't understand why it had to happen to her little girl? Issy was too young to have to deal with this rough side of life. She was only supposed to know the good things like ice-cream for dinner and money left by the tooth fairy underneath her pillow.

"Pipes, what are you fucking getting at?" Alex was confused as hell on where Piper was going with this. Of course she was concerned. She was concerned about fucking everything at the moment.

"WHAT I AM FUCKING GETTING AT IS THAT YOU DON'T EVEN FUCKING LOOK AT ME ANYMORE!" Piper's voice rang off the cabinet doors. Her thoughts were all over the place, but there was something that really was bothering her...how Alex treated her. Alex didn't seem to look at her like she used to before everything had happened with Issy, when they had just been newlyweds and happy. Alex didn't look at her with that little gleam of something in her eyes anymore. She only looked at her with worry and sadness it seemed.

"I am looking at you right now!" Alex's voice rose slightly in frustration. She knew whatever Piper was getting at was something deeper than just the way that she looked at her nowadays but she was having a hard time trying to follow Piper's thread of thoughts at the moment. She knew how her wife at times would cover up one issue with another, and she seemed to be doing that at this moment with bringing up how she looked at her...

"You look at me like I am a child. You don't look at me like I am your wife, but a crazy person or something! You don't think I can take care of myself or this baby I am carrying...And don't say it's not fucking true because it is. Ever since Issy...ever since..." Piper's voice trailed off slightly as she tried to say the word cancer. It hurt too much to say it. She hadn't been able to say it since Issy had been diagnosed. She had only ever said that Issy was sick."...Ever since _then..._you don't let me do anything...you keep on questioning me..."

"No, I don't," stated Alex in her defence. Yes, she might be worried about Piper, but she did not look down on her in any way like Piper seemed to suggesting... She was just trying to look out for her wife. She didn't want to see Piper go down that darkened road again, one she'd travelled down before with frightening results...

"You fucking went behind my back today and took Issy out of school! After I specifically told her that she had to go!" Piper spat. "Instead of discussing it with me, you drove her to school, playing me...and then just fucking pulled her out!"

Alex didn't have anything to say at this. Piper was right, she had done that. But in her defence she had been looking out for her family. She hadn't meant to go behind Piper's back and take Issy out of school. It had been an impulsive move on her part, one that she didn't normally do, but she had been acting on childhood memory and how good it had felt on that day with her mom all those years ago... She had just wanted Issy to experience that same joy.

"I know you are new to this parenting thing, Alex, but I have been Issy's mom for a lot longer than you have!" Piper hated how her wife was seen as the fun parent to her daughter sometimes, while she was seen as the mean one. She knew that Alex's intentions were from the heart and that she didn't mean to step over her toes, but she did... Alex needed to learn how to co-parent with her and that she needed to be hard sometimes despite the tears that Issy might shed in protest.

"I'm her fucking mom! And I know you are trying, but you can't just go behind my back like that! We need to parent together. I know you want Issy to think you are cool and the fun one, but you have to show some discipline towards her, Alex," Piper continued in a slight rant.

"I just wanted her to be happy," whispered Alex. She knew that Piper had a point and maybe she did want to be the fun parent. But at the same time, Issy shouldn't have to be disciplined she thought. She had fucking cancer. The kid, in her opinion, was already going through a hard time as it was. She should be treated to random trips to the zoo on a school day and other things like that.

"I just wanted to see her smile... You didn't see that look on her face as we pulled up to the school yard. You didn't see the fear in her eyes. The other kids make fun of her, Pipes," Alex didn't want to make Piper feel bad, but she was just trying to explain why she had done what she'd done today. "She shouldn't have to go through that..."

"You think I'm a bad mother for sending my child to school knowing what the other kids call her?!" There was hurt in Piper's eyes as she looked at her wife. "You don't think I don't know what happens the moment she steps onto that school ground..." She knew full well what the other kids called her daughter. The teacher had tried to explain to the class that Issy had cancer and was on medicine that caused her to lose her hair, but it didn't seem to matter. The kids poked fun at her daughter just because she was bald like a baby. The little girl had lost all her beautiful blonde hair, even her eyebrows. She only had her dark lashes around her eyes left.

Piper had tried to teach Issy to ignore the name calling and teasing, telling her daughter that words were just words... She knew kids could be tough on the playground when someone was a little different. But Issy had to be the big person here. She wouldn't be bald forever, and the kids would stop teasing her. Or so she hoped.

"I didn't say you were a bad mother..." Alex hated that Piper thought that because that was the furthest thing from the truth. Piper was a brilliant mother. She was in awe at how easy it came to the blonde. Piper was tough when she needed to be, but never too tough. And she knew it came from being a single parent for a long time and having to wear both hats. In some ways, Piper reminded her of her mom. She had witnessed it the first time she had seen Piper with Issy at Starbucks three years ago now. Motherhood just came easy to the blonde. Something that Alex couldn't help but be jealous about. She was still learning very much how to transition into this new role in her life. It was a lot harder of a transition for her than it had been for her moving up in the cartel business twenty years ago.

"You don't think I don't worry about her every minute she is away from me? That I don't wish I could take her away...take her away from fucking all of it... the teasing... The _cancer_..." Piper's voice broke at finally saying the word out loud after all this time. Tears suddenly began to run down her cheeks as hard sobs rocked her whole body. She was broken, she thought. She hated how once again she was this slobbery mess of emotions. She knew that a part of it was due to the crazy hormones coursing through her body at the moment and the extreme stress she was under, but still.

She hated how she had no control over her fucking life again. Everything was falling a part. Her little girl was sick, and she couldn't fix it... She was pushing Alex away, which she didn't want to do... They were supposed to be in this together. This was supposed to be their fresh start together. Finally, they were getting their happy ending. They had just gotten married and were having a baby together. But it seemed like they were being pulled apart more than ever now. They were constantly fighting over little things now and were losing the flow they had once had. And she hated how she couldn't enjoy her pregnancy. She wasn't trying to ignore the baby she was carrying. She tried to do everything she was supposed to, but it was hard, fucking hard with everything with Issy...

Alex immediately came towards her wife, and this time Piper didn't fight her. Her arms engulfed Piper's body, despite her large stomach. She needed to hold her.

To comfort her.

Not only for Piper's sake, but for her own too.

For everything that Piper was feeling, Alex was feeling it too. She wished she could take all the pain away from both Piper and Issy at the moment. They shouldn't have to fucking go through all this, she thought bitterly.

They had all been through enough.

xxx

Alex pulled down the covers on the bed as Piper was in the bathroom, brushing her teeth.

It was just a minute past midnight, now.

The brunette assumed that they wouldn't be getting much sleep that night. Piper had already phoned the hospital asking about Issy. The nurse on duty hadn't seemed too happy to be forced to leave her seat to go check up on the girl, but Piper wouldn't leave her alone until she did.

This was the first time that Piper had been alone from her daughter in awhile. Ever since Issy had been diagnosed, she had stopped spending night's at Larry's and his family. She still saw him but only slept in her own bed here. Both parents were fine with this. Larry just wanted his daughter to feel safe and happy. And if that was with Piper, then he was okay with that.

As Alex climbed into the bed, the bathroom door opened and Piper appeared into the room.

The couple immediately locked eyes on each other for a second before Piper looked away and began to undress for bed.

Alex couldn't help but stare as Piper shed the pale blue silk robe she'd been wearing to reveal her curvy naked body. Alex had always loved Piper's body, but she loved it most in its current state. Pregnancy one hundred percent agreed with the blonde.

The brunette felt something stir in the pit of her stomach as she continued to watch Piper. It had been a while since they'd engaged in sex. They'd had a pretty active sex life before Issy had gotten sick, but like everything else since then, it had gone out of the window. Alex hadn't really noticed that she hadn't had sex in over two months, but now she was very aware of the fact as Piper came towards the bed, dressed in only a tank top and boy shorts and her hair pulled off her face in a loose ponytail.

Noticing her wife's gaze, Piper smiled slightly as she climbed into the bed.

"What?" she asked in amusement. It'd been a while since she had seen that look on Alex's face, she thought.

Those green sinister eyes of hers glowing deeply with lust.

"Nothing," whispered Alex, a small smile appearing on her face as she continued to look at Piper.

Not another word was spoken between the couple as they continued to look deeply at one another. It was as if they were testing each other in some way like they used to in their younger years together...seeing how long the other one could last before giving into desire.

"I love you," whispered Alex in a low seductive voice as she moved closer to her wife in the bed.

"I love you," whispered Piper in return as she felt the warmth of Alex's breath suddenly against her skin.

Their faces were just a mere inches away from each other now as they continued to look deeply at each other. Both sensed what was going to happen next as their lips slowly touched each other.

Alex towered over Piper, her hands resting on either side of her, while her back twisted to the side, being careful not to crush Piper's stomach.

The kiss deepened slowly as Piper brought her hand to caress the side of Alex's cheek. Their months opened and closed tenderly against each other as the passion built.

This wasn't about desire and getting the other one off, really. Yes, the couple wanted to be together physically. But it was about so much more than just that. This time the sex was about connecting again on a more emotional level. Getting to know each other as lovers once again.

The sex had always been good between them, and this time would be no different.

They had missed each other.

Over the last two months, they had lost each other in a way. Of course, they saw each other every day, living in the same house and sleeping in the same bed...but they had lost each other emotionally. They didn't communicate like they used too or should in family situations like they were currently in. Everything was pushed to the side that didn't seem important anymore. Emotions were kept locked in, seemingly not a priority. Everyone's focus lately had been on Issy's and her comfort and how she was handling everything, like it should be.

But they couldn't forget about themselves either.

Their tongues coiled together like wet snakes, twisting and sliding against each other with desire. Piper's hand moved to the back of Alex's head, clenching at her dark locks. She could feel her arousal building as the kiss continued to deepen. Alex adjusted herself as she slid her right leg in between Piper's as best as she could. It was a little harder now as Piper's stomach was larger, but it wasn't stopping the couple from being together.

They continued to kiss for a few moments longer before breaking apart. They smiled shyly at one another as their eyes connected for a moment. Neither could help but feel happy at this moment.

Alex rubbed her lower body against Piper's as her lips began to attack the side of her neck. She closed her eyes as she inhaled the sweet notes of vanilla that lingered on her skin. Her kisses were soft and tender as her mouth made its way down the curve of Piper's neck to her collarbone. Her one hand supported her weight while her other slid underneath her wife's tank top.

Piper moaned as she felt Alex's hand on her breast. A wave of warm pleasure washed through her as she allowed Alex's touch to fully consume her. She was trying not to feel selfish and guilty that she was having sex while her little girl was at the hospital. She was trying _really_ hard not think about Issy at the moment as Alex's mouth and hand continued to light her body. She squeezed her eyes shut as another moan escaped from her lips as Alex suddenly pulled roughly on the sensitive skin of her nipple. Pleasure and arousal coursed through her system, but at the same time, there was a nagging feeling at the back of her mind.

She couldn't enjoy this, not like she wanted to, knowing that Issy was away from home that night. She knew that Issy was sound asleep and safe at the hospital; when she had phoned the hospital earlier, the nurse had related that Issy's fever had gone down a bit. If the fever broke in the morning, she would be allowed to go home. Piper hoped this would happen. That she would be allowed to bring her little girl home where she belonged. It just wasn't the same without having Issy in the house, having her close by.

Alex took the now taut nipple into her mouth, sucking on the hard point of it as her hand traveled along the curve of Piper's stomach to her sex. Her eyes watched Piper closely, making sure she was enjoying herself. She didn't want Piper just to go through the motions of sex with her. She wanted Piper to want this just as much as she wanted it. Her fingers rubbed against the material of the boy shorts as her tongue flicked the nipple back and force.

Piper immediately whimpered and moaned in response to Alex's fingers sliding against her throbbing sex. Her back arched slightly, causing her stomach to brush against Alex's torso.

Alex sucked hard one last time on the stiff peak before trailing a line of wet kisses along Piper's bump and slid her hand underneath the waistband to make direct contact with Piper's folds. As she began to deepen her touch and traced figure-eights with her fingers against her wife's clit, something very unexpected happened that took them both by surprise.

The baby kicked hard again against the spot where Alex's mouth had been just mere seconds ago.

"What the fuck...?" murmured Alex as she suddenly sat up and looked at Piper.

Piper too was taken aback by what had just happened. The baby had practically almost kicked Alex in the face just then. Her face then suddenly broke out into a grin at this thought. She tried to stifle her laugh but failed to do so as she began to laugh uncontrollably in amusement.

Alex just gawked at her wife for a second before her face broke out into a smile too.

It was pretty funny, she thought, as Piper's laughter continued to fill her ears. And it was nice to see Piper laugh again, something she hadn't done in awhile.

* * *

Thanks for reading!

Julie


	9. Chapter 8

Do not own Orange Is the New Black or any of the characters.

* * *

**Overcast**

_**Chapter 8**_

_Normal As Normal Can Be_

_February 2024_

Alex was a woken from her deep slumber by the sound of voices.

She frowned slightly as she lifted her head off of the pillow and glanced at the time displayed on the clock. It was well passed her usual wake up time of six in the morning. She lay her head back onto the pillow for a second, thinking she would go back to sleep when she heard Piper's voice loud and clear coming from downstairs.

She sounded upset about something.

Alex immediatly bolted out of bed at this. She quickly reached out for her glasses on the nightstand before heading out of the room.

As she came closer to the railing of the stairs, she realized that Piper wasn't alone. That Larry was with her. This puzzled her for a moment before she realized what day it was. It was Saturday and it was his weekend with Issy or since Issy had gotten sick, just his Saturday with her.

She peered over the railing, looking down at Piper and Larry. Larry didn't look too thrilled at the moment. They had forgotten to call him last night to tell him not to come get Issy that she was at the hospital.

"Why didn't you fucking phone?" she heard Larry ask bitterly to her wife. "She's my fucking daughter too you know!"

"Don't fucking yell at me...okay!" cried back Piper at her ex. "I'm sorry I didn't call. Just everything...happened so quickly yesterday..."

"I would have liked to been there...for her," there was a sadness to Larry's tone as he rubbed his face.

Alex could sense that Larry hated that he didn't get to see Issy as often as he would like too. Despite their history involving one another, there was no doubt that Larry loved his little girl. And he was a great father to her. She had see him interact a numerous times with Issy over the years. She did feel jealous at times but she didn't really have anything to be jealous about. Issy's wasn't hers not like she was Larry's.

"I know you would've and again I'm sorry Larry that we didn't call you last night...it was just so much going on. We're on our way now to pick her up...you're welcome to come..." Piper wasn't sure how Alex would feel exactly about inviting Larry to come along with them to the hospital. But Larry had a right to see his daughter.

A small smile appeared on Larry's face at hearing this. It hadn't always been easy for them this co-parenting of Issy. Especially now that Alex was in the picture too. Larry and Alex had butted heads time and time again over things from the past that shouldn't really matter but it did. "It's okay, Pipes," whispered Larry as he reached out to touch Piper's on the arm. "I would like to drop by tomorrow or tonight even to see her though...if that's okay?"

"Of course!" replied Piper with a nod of her head.

Larry and Piper continued to talk for a moment or two longer before he left.

Alex, who was still at the top of the stairs, counted to ten before heading down them. She didn't want Piper to think she had been eavesdropping or anything.

The stairs creaked underneath her feet as she slowly came downstairs towards where Piper was standing in the hallway.

Piper immediatly turned to look at her.

"I'm surprised you're just waking up now..." stated the blonde towards her wife with a slight smile.

Alex just shrugged her shoulders as she stepped off the last step, "Last night was a long night for me."

Piper's smile deepened at this. Despite everything that was going on currently the couple had been able to reconnect not only physically but emotionally last night. They seemed to be on better terms now. In away it felt like the morning after they had gotten married. That had been a very meaningful day for them.

"Why didn't you wake me?" asked Alex as she slipped her arms around Piper and kissed her on the cheek.

"Because you looked so peaceful sleeping," whispered Piper as she rested her forehead against Alex's.

The couple stared at one another for the longest time, getting lost into each other's eyes.

For a moment it almost seemed normal again. That Issy wasn't sick. That they weren't both barely struggling to keep it together. That they were expecting a baby and that was all they had to think about. However, as much as they wished for it to all go away and be that happy family they had once been. They knew that it wouldn't ever be like that again...not for a while at least.

The couple shared a soft kiss before breaking a part.

"The hospital called," explained Piper as she began to walk to the kitchen, "Issy's fever broke earlier this morning."

"That's good," whispered Alex as she followed her wife into the kitchen.

* * *

_November 2022_

Piper watched Alex as she lay the dinning table for dinner. She couldn't believe how normal this felt that Alex was here, setting the table for Thanksgiving dinner.

Normally, they would be having it at Nicky's like they had done every year since it had started, but this year was different.

It was the first Thanksgiving when they would all be together under the same roof since Litchfield. It was going to be a real family affaire this year with having, Red, Lorna, Nicky, and Alex over at the apartment.

It was amazing how much had changed since last Thanksgiving, thought Piper as she thought back to last year and how she had gotten into that fight with that stupid bitch, Wren.

Alex looked up and winked at Piper when she noticed her staring at her from the kitchen door. "Can I help you Ms. Chapman?" she asked playfully.

"No, you can't, Ms. Vause," replied back Piper as she played along with Alex. "I was just admiring your handy work..."

"My _handy_ work?" Alex cocked an eyebrow seductively towards her girlfriend at this. She knew that Piper was talking a lot more about last night than how she was currently laying out the silverware on the table.

"Yeah..."whispered Piper as she came slowly towards Alex, "Your handy work..."

Alex lay the last fork down onto the table before reaching out for Piper, her hands immediatly wrapping around her waist. The couple smiled at each other as their foreheads came to rest upon each other.

Both of them were very happy at this moment as they continued to stand their looking at each other. They both couldn't get over how it had been a year already since last Thanksgiving. Last year they had been barely talking to each other and the tension had been thick between them. They both hadn't forgiven each other for all the hurt and pain they had caused each other in the past. Alex had also been in a bad place in her life this time last year. Not only had she been struggling to get her shit together after being released from Litchfield, but she had been fucking like a teenager. She had lost all control on her life back then.

And she still didn't have complete control over it, but she was way better off now than she had been a year ago.

She was happy for one thing.

"I love you," whispered Alex.

Her eyes gleamed with devotion and love for this woman standing before her. She had fought long and hard to find happiness in her life and it had always been right here, with this woman. She had tried to deny it more times then she liked to admit it, but it was the truth. She had both hated and loved Piper during the twenty years that she had known her. But when it came down to it, she would always chose her.

"I love you too," whispered back Piper before she leaned forward and captured Alex's lips with her own in a kiss.

"_EWWW_! Are you guys kissing again!?" squealed Issy with a smile on her face as she came suddenly into the room and spied the intimate embrace of the couple.

* * *

_February 2024_

Issy's face broke out into a wide grin the moment she saw Mommy and Momma come into the hospital room.

She was extremely happy to see them.

She had hated staying over at the hospital last night. Having Marcie had helped but it still hadn't been the same as sleeping at home. There was constant noise at the hospital with the nurse coming in and out of the room to check on her. Plus there was the beeping and hum of machines that she had to be hooked up too.

She was glad that her fever had broken and she could finally get to go home.

"Hey there beautiful," greeted Piper as she came towards her daughter's bedside and quickly embraced the little girl.

"Hi Mommy," whispered Issy into the crook of her mother's neck. She closed her eyes as she breathed in the familiar scent of Piper. It always amazed her how good Mommy smelt. She always in some way smelt like vanilla and honey.

The smell always reminded her of carefree days in the summer. When there was no school or homework. Just sun and playing outside for hours on end.

Of all things good.

Of all things normal.

Vanilla and honey.

It was a sweet smelling fragrance that lingered on Mommy's skin.

It was comforting.

It was familiar.

It was Mommy.

"I missed you," whispered Issy into Piper's ear.

Her breath was warm against her skin as her arms continued to stay wrapped around her. It brought tears to Piper's eyes as she continued to cradle her little girl. She hated how fast Issy's life was going by. Some days it seemed like just yesterday Nicky was laying her small little body onto her chest and telling her it was a girl. So much had changed since that moment and at times it did seem crazy how far her life had become. But at other times, it was a normal progression, it seemed.

Like it was meant to happen like this.

"I missed you too baby," whispered back Piper as she stroked soft skin at the back of Issy's neck. She made sure not to touch the little girl's head since she had lost her hair. She knew how sensitive her daughter was about her bald head now.

But Piper still thought she was as beautiful as she had been on the day she had been born, even more so now.

Issy would always be beautiful to Piper, no matter what.

* * *

_November 2022_

They had just finished dinner and Red was in the kitchen with Nicky, helping wash the dishes. Alex was clearing the last of the plates off of the table when something caught her eye from across the room.

Piper was seated beside Lorna on the couch. The two women were laughing and chatting away about something that Alex couldn't make out. But it wasn't the sight of them together that had her attention. It's where Piper's hand was resting.

Alex stood there in a trance for a second as she watched as Piper placed her hand on Lorna's pregnant stomach and felt as the baby kicked.

Lorna was five months pregnant. Her and Nicky hadn't told anyone that they were trying to conceive a baby. They had found out in early June that they were expecting. It had come to a surprise for all of them, but a happy surprise none the less.

Nicky had one time had told Alex that she didn't want kids. That being Issy's godmother was enough for her. However, Lorna had wanted kids and now here they were.

Alex didn't know if she could do that for someone. To change her mind on something she had been set in on ways for years. To suddenly change her mind on something like Nicky had done on the kid matter. She didn't know if she could do that for Piper if she ever asked her. The couple had made sure not to talk about the future that much or what their lives would look like in the next five years. Everything was still new for them and they knew if they started to discuss what they wanted from the relationship that they would fuck it up for sure.

It was all about the fucking baby steps with them.

Alex had long ago put the idea of kids passed her. It wasn't just because of her age but she just honestly didn't think she was fit to be a mother. She had never grown up dreaming about having a baby or two like she knew some girls grew up doing. Alex had been different. She had just wanted to grow up having money, that was it.

Sure, Alex had warmed up to Issy but Issy was a easy kid to love. It was hard not to love her. Trust Alex on this, she had tired not falling in love with the little girl like everyone else, but like Piper, Issy had gotten a hold of her heart.

Plus, Issy wasn't a baby or anything like that.

She was five years old, a growing child but still pretty independent.

You didn't have to change any diapers or anything messy like that with her. She was fully potty trained and needed very little assistance to none in the bathroom department. Alex liked this. That she could interact with Issy and enjoy her company without having to worry about her having an accident or something.

Alex could see why people liked babies and wanted them but they weren't for her, she thought. She wasn't cut out for changing diapers

However, she could feel her mind slowly swaying in the opposite direction as the baby topic became more presented in her life.

"AL, come here!" beckoned Piper as she looked up and noticed Alex standing there at the table.

"What?" asked Alex as she placed the plate she had in her hands back onto the table and slowly walked over to where Piper and Lorna were seated.

"Come feel the baby kick," cried the blonde with a smile on her face as she reached out for Alex's hand.

Alex tried to pull away but before she could Piper had placed her hand on the curve of Lorna's stomach. At first she didn't feel anything, but the warmth of Lorna's body heat but after a second had passed, she felt something. Her eyebrows immediatly raised on her forehead in surprise. The baby's foot had come indirect contact with the palm of her hand. She was amazed at not only how alien it felt, but how powerful the kick had been.

There really was a little being in there, she thought as she continued to feel the baby kick and move within Lorna.

She had never felt anything like it before.

"Isn't it amazing?!" asked Piper as she too placed her hand onto Lorna's stomach.

Alex was at a lost for words at the moment, so she just merely nodded her head in agreement to her girlfriend.

It was amazing, she couldn't help but admit to herself.

xxx

"Well...I guess I should get going..." Alex's voice trailed off slightly as she locked eyes with Piper. They both knew she was filled with shit. She had no intentions on leaving and Piper wasn't going to let her go, anyways. But she felt like she needed to put it out there anyways, just in case she was reading Piper wrong.

"Stay," whispered out Piper suddenly as she enclosed the space between them.

It was late at night now. Everyone had left a few hours ago and Issy was asleep in bed. It was just the two of them now, alone in the living room of Piper's apartment.

They had yet to cross that threshold of sleepovers.

Alex was quiet for a moment as she stared at the blonde.

"Are you sure?" she asked. She knew how big of a step this was for Piper. Up until this point she had kept her relationship with Alex, separate from Issy. Alex hung out with Issy and such, but they had yet to do the morning after routine together.

Piper smiled as she reached out and took Alex's hands into her own. "I'm sure," she whispered as she kissed Alex softy on the lips. She was ready to take this step and it wasn't even that big of a step. But it was to her. She had never had someone sleep over while Issy was here. She had never wanted her daughter to feel uncomfortable in her own home with having a stranger stay over. However, Alex wasn't a stranger to Issy, not anymore that was. Plus, she knew it was bound to happen soon that her and Alex would take this step.

Today had shown her of the family they could become.

Seeing Alex interact with Issy in the kitchen, making dinner...it had seemed so normal. It had given her a glimpse at what the future could be for them, as a family.

Alex squeezed Piper's hands as her mouth moved over hers, kissing her back. She was once again finding herself overwhelmed with happiness. She knew this was a big deal for Piper and she couldn't be happier that Piper felt comfortable enough to do so.

It was yet another baby step for them, but it was still a step in the right direction.

* * *

_February 2024_

Piper hadn't realized she had drifted off to sleep while watching TV.

The volume of the flat screen was muted and the lights were off. Causing the picture of the TV to fill the room with an eerie glow. She rubbed her eyes as she tried to figure out what time it was. The last thing she remembered was Larry leaving the house after visiting Issy for a bit. She felt the baby move as she arched her back and stretched her arms out on the couch. She smiled as she placed her hand on her belly and rubbed it slightly. The baby must had been sleeping too, she thought.

"Sorry little girl," she whispered before rising to her feet.

The house was very quiet she noted as she slowly walked out of the living room and began to head upstairs where she figured everyone else was. She took the stairs one foot at a time, clenching onto the railing for support. She legs and back protested with each movement she made. She was exhausted as she finally stepped onto the landing of the second floor of the house.

Laughter and the murmur of voices greeted her there.

Piper then immediatly turned and headed towards Issy's bedroom, where the voices were coming from.

The door was slightly ajar as she quietly pushed it open and took in the sight before her.

Issy was seated on Alex's lap. They were seated on Issy's bed and were in the middle of reading a book. Neither had noticed Piper yet as she slipped further into the bedroom.

The nightly bedtime story had been taken over by Alex in the recent months since they had gotten married and moved into the house. Piper didn't mind though. She knew how much it meant to Alex to be allowed into the little girl's night time routine. The book the two of them were reading currently was Matilda. It was more Alex reading it then Issy, but at times the six year old would read a page or two. She was a good reader for her age but sometimes struggled with the big words.

Tonight, Alex was reading.

_"...From then on, Matilda would visit the library only once a week in order to take out new books and return the old ones. Her own small bedroom now became her reading-room and there she would sit and read most afternoons, often with a mug of hot chocolate beside her." _Alex's voice was soft and clear as she read out loud from the children's book.

Issy's eyes were wide and hanging on Alex's every word. She was enthralled with the tale of Matilda.

_"She was not quite tall enough to reach things around in the kitchen, but she kept a small box in the outhouse which she brought in and stood on in order to get whatever she wanted. Mostly it was hot chocolate she made, warming the milk in a saucepan on the stove before mixing it. Occasionally she made Bovril or Ovaltine..." _

Piper couldn't help but smile at the sight of them together like this. It gave her hope that maybe through all the shitty-ness that had come their way so far that there was some normal lining. A silver lining of sorts.

That despite her child having to battle a deadly disease like cancer there was always story time at the end of the day to look forward too.

That for an hour or two they could all escape and pretend that everything was normal.

Or as normal as normal could be at the moment.

* * *

Thanks for reading!

Julie


	10. Chapter 9

Do not own Orange Is the New Black or any of the characters.

Thanks again to everyone who is still reading. I don't know really how many of you there are but who ever is, thanks! :)

So I don't usually ask this but would you guys rather I post chapter by chapter or post multiple at one time? The only reason why I ask is because I have this story done on my computer and would like to know what you guys want? Let me know in a review, please and thank you.

* * *

**Overcast**

_**Chapter 9**_

_Valentine's Day_

_February 2024_

Issy bit her fingernail as she sat at the table with the other kids on the cancer ward. She was suppose to be getting another round of chemo done, her last before the surgery. However, the nurse had thought it would be good for her to interact with some of the other kids while the doctor talked to her parents.

They were making Valentine's Day cards. There was three other kids seated at the table with her cutting out red and pink hearts from construction paper. Issy didn't attempt to cut out a single heart or anything though as she sat there quietly at the table, watching the others. She had made all her valentines with Lorna already last week.

There were two boy and a girl seated at the table with her.

They all had cancer like she did, but she could go home, they couldn't. She could tell this by the way they were all dressed in their pajamas still. Mommy would never let her leave the house in her pajamas, unless it was pajama day at school. One of the boys was also attached to an IV and had a tub running through his nose. His name was Patrick or so the nurse had introduced him as. He was dark skinned with dark eyes that reminded Issy of rich wet dirt. He was a few years older than her, she assumed by the impressive manner of how he cut heart after heart skillfully from the paper. Seated next to Patrick was another boy, Ollie. He was her age. She knew this for a fact because Ollie's Mommy had talked to her Mommy when they had first started coming to the hospital regularly and she had overheard them. She watched as Ollie stuck his tongue out of the corner of his mouth in concentration, while he cut the paper.

She watched him for a second longer before drifting her eyes to the other side of her, where little Faye was seated. She was only about four years old. She wore a pink skull cap on her head to cover her bald scalp. Issy had a purple cap similar to this one that Faye wore but she wasn't a fan of it. It made her head inch.

Faye, who was busy colouring looked up and met Issy's eye. The little girl had watery blue eyes. The two girls stared at each other for a moment before Faye shyly smiled up at her.

"Hi," whispered Faye in a light airy voice.

"Hi," whispered Issy as she smiled back at the little girl before she dipped her head and went back to her colouring.

Issy couldn't seem to stop staring at Faye. It wasn't because she was so small or that she coloured better then Issy did.

She stared at her for a different reason.

She couldn't help, but feel like she needed to protect Faye in someway, only if she had just met her today. She wondered if this is what it felt like to be a big sister. Well, she already was a big sister...but what it felt like to be a big sister to a little sister.

She very much so was looking forward to the day when the baby arrived, but that wouldn't be for another three months. That was a very long time to wait, she thought.

xxx

Issy held her breath and squeezed her eyes shut as the she felt the prick of the needle be inserted into her skin. She was use to this now but she still held her breath each time and counted to ten until it was over. She clenched Marcie with her other arm, cradling the bear to her chest.

Marcie didn't like needles.

A deep breath of relief escaped from Issy's mouth a moment later as she opened her eyes and looked down at the tube sticking out of her hand. She stretched out her fingers slightly on the arm rest before glancing over to where Mommy was seated beside the bed. Both Daddy and Mommy were here today with her.

She felt it to be a little strange that Momma Alex wasn't here but she was happy that Daddy was here. She didn't get to see him as often as she would like too. He was always busy with work and now that she didn't stay over at his house anymore, she missed him. Even know she missed Mommy and Momma Alex when she was there sometimes.

She sometimes wished that they all lived in one house- her, Mommy, Momma Alex, Daddy, Momma Naomi, Auntie Nicky, Auntie Lorna, Red, Auntie Polly and Uncle Pete with the rest of the kids. How much fun that would be, she thought. She would get to see everyone she loved each day.

But she knew that the others wouldn't like it so much.

She had seen Momma Alex and Daddy butt heads a few times over the last year. Mommy had said they all had a long history together...but hadn't gone into detail. She wondered what this long history would be.

She wasn't allowed to know.

She assumed it had to do with when Mommy had been to prison. She wasn't suppose to know this either, but Daddy had let it slip one day when he had been watching her. It's where Mommy had met Auntie Nicky and Lorna and Red. But she didn't know what they had all done to get in there when she had asked any of them, all of them had said they had been _very_ bad girls.

That's why she was always suppose to be a _good_ little girl and stay out of trouble.

xxx

"What the fuck are you doing?" asked Alex as she opened the front door and watched as Piper slowly walked up the front steps of the house with Issy fast asleep in her arms.

"You're going to injure yourself!"

"I am not!" stated the blonde, "I just didn't want to wake her up...that's all!"

A cold winter breeze blew as Alex took a step onto the snow covered porch. She was just wearing her slippers but she didn't care. She rather get frost bite then have to face Piper falling. She reached out and placed a supportive hand on the crook of Piper's arm, helping her up the last step.

"Here...let me take her," whispered Alex gently as she reached out for the sleeping child.

Piper didn't argue with her as she transported the weight of the six year old from her hip to her wife. She knew she had bitten too much off when she had decided to carrying Issy from the car. She was way too old to be carried like that anymore but Piper still though of her as a baby. Issy had lost weight from the chemo but she still wasn't a light weight to carry or at least not to a six month pregnant woman.

Despite the snow beginning to fall from the clouded skies above and the cold chill of the air, Alex who now supported the sleeping girl, took the time to lean forward and kiss Piper quickly on the lips.

"Hi!"

"Hi," whispered back Piper with a smile on her face.

The couple stared deeply at each other for a second before finally heading inside the house.

Neither spoke a word as Piper closed the front door and began to take off her jacket and snow covered boots before turning to her daughter. Alex had already unzipped the sleeping child's coat and unraveled her scarf from her neck.

Piper gently pulled off her daughter's winter boots from her feet, one by one dropping them onto the mat by the door. She then took off her hat, reveling the pink pale skin of her skull. She leaned forward and kissed the spot that had used to be Issy's soft spot when she was baby before removing the girl's jacket.

Alex adjusted the weight of Issy in her arms before heading upstairs to lay the little girl in bed. She was amazed how she could sleep so soundly through all the movements. However, the medication she received always tired her out like this.

There was no doubt about it, this fight that she was batting with cancer took all of Issy's energy nowadays.

Alex did not bother undressing Issy from her current state of clothing of stripped leggings and long sleeve shirt. The little girl was practically already in her pajamas. Issy liked to dress her self on most days and her parents let her wear whatever she wanted, but on chemo days, Piper made sure her daughter wore comfortable clothing.

She lay Issy carefully down in her bed, being careful not to awaken her. She pulled the covers of the bed up against Issy's chin before giving her cheek a kiss.

She then quietly left the room and headed back down stairs.

Alex removed her slippers which were soaked through from the snow at the front door, before proceeding towards the kitchen, where Piper was.

"How did it go?" she asked in quiet voice as she approached her wife from behind.

Piper didn't look at her right away or answered her for that matter. Her hands were gripping slightly into the edge of the counter for support. She could feel her eyes filling with tears, but she tried with all her might to blink them away.

She didn't want to cry.

She knew that this would be coming. But now that it was here, she couldn't face the reality of it...

Alex didn't press her on the matter as she came to stand beside her and began to rub her back.

She knew that Piper was scared, they all were.

Today had been Issy's last chemo treatment before she was due for surgery to remove the tumor. It was finally at a small enough size to remove it safely. Not only had Issy had gotten her round of chemo, but had been taken for tests.

They knew that this day would come when Issy would get the clear for surgery. It had been the day that they had both been most hoping for and feared. The doctor had said it would take several weeks of chemo before the surgery would happen and it had been just that...

Surgery was always a scary thing, especially with a child.

"They want to schedule the surgery for first thing for next week," whispered Piper as she released a deep breath. She had been a little surprised that they had wanted to do the surgery so soon. It was still four days away but still. She had thought for some reason that it would take longer to prepare for. They were suppose to report back to the hospital on Monday in the morning for it.

Alex didn't say anything at this, she just nodded her head as she continued to rub Piper's back. She knew there was nothing she could say really to comfort her wife with. She could only be there for her, supporting her.

"She'll get through this," whispered Alex as brushed her lips gently against the nape of Piper' neck. "She's strong...just like her mother...She's a fighter..."

The tears began to fall one by one down Piper's cheeks at hearing Alex's words and feeling the heat of her breath against her skin. She didn't feel so strong, she thought bitterly to herself. Piper was a hormonal, emotional mess most days. She could barely keep herself together she found. It didn't help either that she had started to have nightmares again about Healy and Litchfield.

She felt anything but strong...

She inhaled sharply as she squeezed her eyes shut, gripping the edge of the counter once again in attempts of composing herself.

Alex, who was still rubbing Piper's back with her right hand, gently reached up with her left and began to brush away the tears that were currently falling down her wife's cheeks. She hated to see Piper in so much pain like this. She knew that her wife was going through an emotional rollercoaster again like she had at Litchfield.

Piper had worked so hard to get herself back in a happy place after what that bastard had done to her. It had taken her years to finally move pass it and even then she had not fully recovered. She had just gotten good at numbing the pain, but now, her emotions were all over the place again.

Every little thing effected her.

She hated this.

She wasn't suppose to be like this. She was suppose to be strong and brave...she thought. She saw how the other mother at the hospital acted, doing everything possible for their child. And she tried, she really did try to stay positive for her daughter's sake, but it was a struggle.

On most days she just wanted to stay in bed, hidden underneath the covers.

And she could do that at Litchfield. She hadn't have to think about anyone but herself back then. No one had depended on her but herself. She could hide away if she wanted.

But Piper couldn't do that now.

She couldn't run away from her demons and fears, for she was a mother, now. There were others that depended on her, that look to her for safety and for comfort that she would keep them safe. She had two little girls to think about now. She couldn't afford to be selfish and fall back on her self-destructive ways.

Alex slowly then began to kiss every inch of Piper's face, covering it with her touch. She wanted to take all the pain away from her wife. She didn't want Piper to feel like this anymore. Her lips soon found their way to Piper's. She kissed her softly at first, barely brushing up against her mouth before deepening the kiss. Her touch was rougher and urgent this time. She wanted Piper to feel that she was here. That they were in this together. That she didn't have to go through all this alone this time.

She was here for Piper and for Issy.

Despite the current mess of her mind and emotions, Piper found herself kissing Alex back with the same urgency and need. Her body was now turned facing hers. Her massive stomach was pressed between them but that didn't stop them as the kiss continued to build.

It was like they were communicating their need and dependence on each other through the passion and hunger of the kiss- Lips opened and closed, tongues met and fused together.

Piper's hands traveled down the length of Alex's torso to her centre. Her movements were urgent as she pulled at the drawstring of her sweatpants and slid her hand underneath the waistband.

"Ppiiipesss..."Alex moaned in response to the blonde sudden touch on her sex. She stood there for a second allowing for the pleasure to build and fill her with a sense of warmth before taking control of the situation. Her hand wrapped around Piper's wrist and gently moved it from her pants.

Piper looked up at her wife with a look of confusion and hurt.

"Later," whispered Alex as she brought Piper's fingers up to her mouth and kissed them, "Later, babe."

Piper was disappointed by this but didn't argue with Alex.

Lowering Piper's hand, Alex leaned forward and kissed her tenderly on the lips before pulling away from her. She knew that Piper was using sex as away to deal with her emotions and she would be most willing to play along most times but there was something she wanted Piper to see first.

"I have something for you," whispered Alex as she gestured towards the kitchen table.

Piper followed her wife's movements at this and turned to look at the table, were two bouquets of flowers lay. One for her and one for Issy. Piper couldn't help but gasp at this. She hadn't seen the bouquets until now.

"I got you lilies," explained Alex as she watched as Piper took the bouquet indicated for her and opened it. It was a good thing that Piper didn't like roses so much. Those were completely solid out by the time she had left the floral shop that day. "And Issy's is just a butch of different flowers that are basically all purple or violet, really."

Piper could feel her eyes once again welled up with tears as she brought the lilies up to her nose and smelt them. She loved lilies and was touched that Alex had remembered that.

"Alex," she whispered as she turned to face her wife. She was at a lost for words on what to say to her. She hadn't gotten anything for Alex for Valentine's day.

"Happy Valentine's Day!" whispered Alex as she took a small step towards Piper, slipping her arms around her waist and stomach.

"I didn't get you anything..." whispered Piper sadly. She hated how she had forgotten what the date was. She should at least gotten Alex something, it was there first fucking Valentine's Day together as a married couple.

"Babe, it's okay," replied Alex with a smile. She didn't need flowers or chocolates from Piper. She was already carrying her child for her...that was as good as a gift as ever for her. "I don't want anything."

"I should've gotten you at least a card or something," whispered Piper as she lay down the flowers and wiped her eyes.

"It's okay," whispered Alex as she kissed her wife's neck. "I don't need a fucking card...I have my Valentine right here..." Her hands rubbed at Piper's stomach, feeling the baby move.

Piper couldn't help, but smile at this. She loved when Alex touched her stomach. She had thought when she had first become pregnant that Alex wouldn't like her body anymore. She knew how big she would get and the ugly stretch marks that would line her skin. But Alex as soon as she had started to show, couldn't keep her hands off her growing bump.

The couple shared a long kiss as Piper lay her hands onto of Alex's.

"There's something else too," spoke Alex after a moment had passed and she pulled away from her wife. She smiled reassuringly at Piper as she moved towards the table and reached for a white envelope which rested beside the bouquet.

"You got me a card," joked Piper as she took the envelope from Alex as she handed it over to her.

Alex let out a small chuckle at this, "Yeah, I did."

The couple looked at each other for a second before Piper ripped open the seal of the envelope and pulled out the card. She studied the front of it for a second which just had a cartoon of two chipmunks holding hands on it, before opening it up.

There wasn't just a cheesy lovey-dovey message inside but a gift certificate to a spa.

"Polly is picking you up tomorrow!" stated Alex as she watched as Piper stared at the pamphlet for the spa. She had already planned it all out. Polly had agreed to take Piper to the spa while she stayed home and worked on the nursery, which was going to be another surprise for Piper. The nursery hadn't been touched yet, it was still being used as a storage room from the move. She knew that her wife missed seeing her best friend and needed a day just for herself.

"Tomorrow!?" whispered Piper as she looked up and locked eyes with Alex.

"Yeah, tomorrow," replied Alex as she once again reached out for Piper.

* * *

Thanks for reading.

Julie


	11. Chapter 10

Do not own Orange Is the New Black or any of the characters.

Thanks everyone for all the lovely reviews the last chapter got. I guess there is more people still with me than I thought there was! :)

So, I never do this but I am posting five chapters in a row! Please still review each chapter though!

Enjoy!

* * *

**Overcast**

_**Chapter 10**_

_Nursery Rhymes _

_February 2024_

"I don't know if this is such a good idea."

Alex cocked an eyebrow at her wife and just gave her a- _are you being serious_ look. Alex was in the middle of folding laundry. It was still her least favourite thing in the world to do, but she didn't mind doing it now when it was just her own clothes.

"I'll go after the baby is born and when things have calmed down..."explained Piper as she nervously rubbed her stomach and continued to gaze onto Alex in the small laundry room at the back of the house, "Just not now..." She had been thinking about it all night. She knew that Alex wanted her to have a day off but she just couldn't do that. Especially, now with Issy's surgery so soon. She needed to stay home today with her little girl.

"You are going," stated Alex firmly as she finished folding a shirt and reached for another. "Polly is already on her way down here." She knew that Piper would fight her on going to the Spa, but she really did deserved the day off.

Piper frowned as she watched Alex's movements as she folded one of Issy's t-shirts. There was a sort of tension between them in the room. It reminded her of that time she had tried to make good with Alex when she had first arrived at Litchfield and she had confronted her in the laundry room. Of course, this moment was nothing really like that had been, but she still couldn't help but compare the two in her mind.

"Look," stated Alex as she placed the shirt on top of the other folded clothes and turned to face her wife. "I don't want to fight about this." She ran a hand through her dark locks which sadly had a few grey streaks running through them now. "If you don't want to go, I won't push you. I want you to enjoy yourself not stress you out. That would just defeat the purpose..."

Alex smiled at her own joke. She knew she would have to do some arm twisting with Piper but she didn't think she would have to twist so hard like she was now.

Piper smiled as she came over to Alex. She knew she was being a bit of a baby at the moment for taking what was suppose to be a nice gesture on Alex's part and ruining it. But she didn't know how to enjoy herself anymore like Alex clearly wanted her too today. Especially, since the development of the surgery being in the next couple of days. How could she go away to some luxury spa and enjoy herself when she knew in the next couple of days her baby would be getting cut open...

"I just don't know how to step away from...this," she gestured with her hands to the space around her.

Alex nodded her head in understanding as she reached out and took Piper's hands into her own.

"I'm not asking you to step away from anything Piper. I just think you need a day off...to relax," her voice was soft and tender towards her wife.

Piper again frowned at Alex. Again, she didn't think she knew how to relax anymore. That word sounded foreign to her now. She hadn't relaxed in the last six years to be honest. Ever since Issy had been born her priorities had changed. Sure she had relaxed here or there but her mind was always thinking about the business or her daughter. And now with this new baby coming and Issy's sick, she just didn't think it was a good time to go off to some spa to "relax" like Alex wanted her too. There was too much to do and to think about.

It was still only February and the baby wasn't due until May but they didn't even have a name for her yet or a crib for that matter. They had nothing really for this little girl and that made Piper feel guilty. This baby was suppose to be welcomed with excitement, but she was afraid that it wouldn't be, not in the way that it should at least.

"I'm not going to fight with you on this, but Polly is on her way and will probably be here any minute," Alex kissed Piper briefly on the lips before she glanced to the clock on the wall. "So you can deal with her then."

Alex wagged her eyebrows playfully at her wife, a slight smirk peering on her face. Both didn't want to feel the raft of Polly Harper.

Piper just rolled her eyes at what Alex was suggesting. She could handle Polly, she thought. Sure, she didn't get to see her best friend much since she had moved out of the city to Staten Island and had her handful with three boys to raise but the two friends still tried to see each other at least once a month or something. Especially now with everything going on with Issy, Polly made sure to be there for her friend and her goddaughter.

And if reading their thoughts, the door bell rang loudly from the front door. Polly was here.

Alex once again smirked slightly at Piper who had suddenly gone very pale at the thought of having to tell Polly, she wasn't going anymore. Again, she wasn't afraid of her friend. Just that Polly, she assumed had been looking forward to this. She was always going off on tangents on how living with three little boys was hard and how she just wished for one day of peace. And this was probably that day.

Oh well, she thought, Polly would understand why she wouldn't want to go and leave Issy, right?

The blonde nervously bit down on her lower lip as she followed Alex out of the laundry room and into the kitchen before heading to the front door.

* * *

_January 2023_

"I can't believe we are fucking doing this," whispered Piper in a low voice towards Alex, so that little ears wouldn't hear her.

"I know," whispered back Alex with a smile, "I can't believe it either."

Alex was moving into Piper's apartment that day. It was a big step for both of them. They hadn't lived under the same roof in years not since their adventures around the world. Litchfield didn't count as living together. That had been more of a forced situation. This time was anything but.

Alex's lease on her apartment had been up and it had been Piper who suggested she move in with her and Issy. Ever since Thanksgiving, Alex had been spending most of her nights there anyways. They might as well make it a permanent thing, she thought.

Issy was more than thrilled that Alex was coming to live with them. She had grown every fond to the brunette and was already asking when she would be marrying her mommy and having babies like Nicky and Lorna were.

However, Alex and Piper weren't thinking about either of those things at the moment. They needed to see how this living together would go first before thinking about anything else like marriage and babies.

The couple stared at each other at the moment, hovering at the entrance of the apartment. Despite having their hands full with boxes, they shared a long passionate kiss together. They were both just so happy at the moment.

"You guys sure do that a lot," stated a little voice in front of them. Issy was already in the apartment.

The couple immediatly pulled away from each other and looked down in surprise at seeing the little girl in front of them. They had thought she had been in her room.

Issy grinned broadly at the couple, who were clearly embarrassed at being caught by her. "K-I-S-S-I-N-G..." she began to sing.

"Hahaha...you're so funny!" teased Alex towards Issy as she stuck out her tongue.

Issy couldn't help but giggle at Alex at seeing her stick out her tongue. She loved to make fun of the older woman.

"Okay, you two...lets get moving," stated Piper as she took a step further into the apartment and set the box down on the floor. "We still have boxes downstairs to bring up."

Alex didn't have a lot of things to move but there was still enough to have to make multiple trips from downstairs where they had left the boxes in the lobby. They had only made two trips so far and would probably have to do another two before Alex was officially moved in.

* * *

_February 2024_

"Has the wifey left?" asked Nicky as she stuck her head into the house.

"Yes, she has left," laughed Alex as Nicky came further into the house and closed the front door behind her. "She didn't leave easily, but she has left."

Nicky smirked at hearing this. When Alex had first proposed the idea that she wanted to get Piper out of the house and paint the nursery as a surprise, she'd had her doubts. There was no way that Piper would leave her daughter, even if it was just for a day, Piper watched Issy like a hawk nowadays.

"Well, I brought the paint like you asked," stated Nicky as she held out the two paint cans she was carrying.

"Thanks," replied Alex as she took both cans from the shorter woman's hands. "Make yourself at home, I'm just going to go bring these upstairs," explained Alex as she indicated with her head towards the stairs.

Nicky did a saluting gesture towards Alex as she began to head up the stairs to the second floor, where the nursery was, while she herself shed off her winter jacket and boots.

A few moments later, just as Nicky was hanging up her coat on the peg of the coat rack, Alex reappeared at the top of the stairs.

"Do you want a coffee or anything?" she asked as she slowly came back down to the foyer of the house. They were still waiting for Red, who had said she had wanted to help out too with the nursery.

"Sure," answered Nicky as she began to follow Alex down the hallway and into the kitchen.

The two women were silent for a moment as Nicky took a seat at the kitchen table, while Alex began to brew a fresh pot of coffee.

"So how's the kid doing?" asked Nicky as she watched as Alex moved about the kitchen.

"She's doing okay, I guess," replied Alex over her shoulder, "She slept for most of the night...only puked once. She had a good breakfast this morning too. She's sleeping now."

Last night had been a fairly good night, where Issy was concerned. The little girl had been as nausea from the chemo like she sometimes was. She had just slept, which had been a good thing. That hadn't stopped Piper though from checking up on her daughter every hour or so, making sure she didn't have a fever or anything like that.

"Did she see the flowers?" asked Nicky with interest. Lorna who had been working at Alex's store location yesterday had helped pick out the flowers for the little girl.

"Yeah, this morning she did." Issy's face had lit up like it was Christmas morning when she had found out the flowers were for her.

The two friends continued to talk as the kitchen soon filled with the strong aroma of coffee. This was one of the small things that Alex had taken for grant before her life at Litchfield, but now after only being almost three years out, she savored the smell of a good cup of coffee.

"They want to do the surgery on Monday," Alex's voice was low as she placed the steaming mug of black coffee down in front of Nicky before take a seat across from her at the table.

"Shit! That's soon!" Nicky's eyebrows had risen up her forehead in surprise at hearing that they wanted to do the surgery on Monday.

Alex nodded her head in agreement as she cradled her own mug of coffee in her hands and blew on the steam. They all knew that the surgery was coming but it still came as a shock. Alex didn't know really how to prepare for it. She knew it was a good thing that the tumour had finally shrunk enough for it to be removed. But she'd read up about the surgery and they were going have to remove most of her kidney.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing though. It's a step to recovery...isn't it?" asked Nicky as she took a small sip of the coffee and looked over at Alex.

"I guess..."Alex shrugged her shoulders in reply. She guessed it was kinda a step to recovery but from what the doctor had said. She would still need chemo after the surgery and radiation if they were able to completely get the cancer cells that lingers on her abdomen.

"And how are things with you guys?" Nicky had already asked Alex this question many times before but she was really concerned about her friends. Issy's sickness she knew was hard on them, especially when Alex and Piper were just figuring out how to be a family unit.

This question took Alex slightly off guard as she lowered her mug and glared at the other woman from across the table. Her thoughts drifted back to that heated fight that her and Piper had gotten into just over a week ago now. Things had been a little better between them emotionally, they communicated more, but it was still hard on them. She tried not to hover over Piper so much and treat her like a child but she just didn't want to lose her. She just wanted to protect her.

"We're okay," she responded like she always did to Nicky's question. She didn't really want to discuss the state of her marriage with Nicky.

"Oh come on Vause. I can see it is anything but okay with you guys," Nicky wanted to cut through all the bullshit that Alex was feeding her. She was worried about her two friends, so was Lorna and even Red. They all tried to help out but were constantly pushed away. Alex and Piper were both too proud to ask for help, which they clearly needed.

"I can see it in your eyes. You're struggling." Nicky knew she was being very blunt at the moment with Alex but she didn't care.

Alex just glared at Nicky in annoyance for a moment before looking away. She was suddenly very angry towards the blonde for pin pointing her out like this. Sure she might be struggling a bit but that didn't mean she needed anyone's help. It was none of her business she thought bitterly to herself as she drained the remainder of her coffee and suddenly stood up.

The kitchen filled with a deafening, awkward silence and tension as Alex placed her mug into the sink. She was so tense at the moment as she leaned into the counter and stared out the window and into the back yard. She looked on at the snow covered yard before letting out a sigh and closing her eyes. Was it really the obvious that she was struggling? That her marriage was crumbling and she had no control over what was happening to her family.

She knew that Nicky was only trying to help her out and this wasn't the first time that her friend would be seeing her struggle with her emotions but that had all been back at Litchfield. She was suppose to be more in control of her life now. Her hands gripped painfully into the counter before letting go.

"I'm sorry," whispered Alex after a moment had passed as she turned to look over at Nicky, who was still seated at the table.

"No hard feelings Vause," stated Nicky with a slight smile.

xxx

"What kinda nursery colour is this?" asked Red towards Alex as she poured out the can of paint onto the tray. The colour was a light blue-grey. It was not a proper colour for a nursery for a little girl, thought the Russian as she continued to look at the paint with disgust.

Alex couldn't help but smirk slightly as she glanced up briefly to Red before focusing her attention back onto her task at hand.

"It's the colour that Piper wants," she stated firmly as she finished pouring the paint out and placed the now half empty can on the floor. She had been a little hesitant at first when Piper had first chosen the colour at the hardware store. But the blonde had explained how she wanted a sophisticated nursery. She had seen some picture from Pinterest or another one of those design sites she was always looking at for ideas for their new house. "It's called Overcast"

"Well, whatever it is called, it's not a proper colour for a little girl. It should be some sort of shade of pink or something..."The Russian waved one of her hands dramatically into the air to make her point clear.

Alex just smiled and shook her head slightly at Red as she straightened her back and handed her a roller. "Well, if it bothers you that much, you can take it up with her when she gets home.."

Red stared at Alex for a second before sighing and taking the roller from Alex's outstretched hand. She didn't understand this new generations need to make everything gender neutral and sophisticated looking. A nursery was suppose to be fun and childlike. And Pink for a girl and blue for a boy. But the older woman knew she came from a different world than the one that Piper was from.

Alex laughed again at Red's reaction before turning her attention onto Nicky and handed her a roller.

The two friends shared a look of amusement before getting to work. They each took a wall. The walls had already been primed and the edges sealed off with tape. Only three walls were to be painted in the blue-grey colour. There was going to be an accent wall, which was going to be covered in wallpaper. Piper had mentioned about covering one of the walls in paper but the wallpaper that Alex was going to use, wasn't her original pattern. It was of vintage illustrations of nursery rhymes in pastel colours. It had reminded Alex of the wallpaper her grandmother had up in her house. It had just reminded the brunette of her childhood when she had seen it and wanted it for the nursery.

xxx

"I want to help," whispered Issy as she stepped into the freshly painted room. Nicky and Red had just left and Alex was in the middle of putting the crib together. The brunette looked up from her task and over to the door.

"What are you doing up?" asked Alex in a soft voice towards her stepdaughter. Issy had woken up briefly when Nicky and Red were here and had helped Red make lunch for all of them.

But she had soon gone back to bed, after she complained her tummy was hurting. It was now the middle of the afternoon. Piper wasn't due back until later on in the evening. Polly had promised to keep her occupied all day for her.

"I want to help," whispered Issy again, ignoring Alex's question as she took a further step into the room. Her brown eyes blinked at her stepmother. She wanted to help in some way with the nursery.

Alex brushed her hair off of her face as she stood up slowly, wincing slightly as a pain shot through her knees. She was getting old, she thought as she straightened her back and looked over at Issy. She didn't answer the little girl for a long time as she debated on what job she could give Issy.

The walls were already done. Most of the furniture was in the room. Nicky had helped put the changing table and dresser together. The last thing to do was finish building the crib and put the bedding on it. There wasn't really much that Issy could help with, she thought.

"How about you colour a picture and we will frame it and put it on the wall, above the changing table?" Alex had planned on getting Issy to draw a picture for her little sister, anyways.

Issy shook her head at this, "No. I don't want a baby job. I want an adult one."

"An adult one?!" Alex couldn't help but cock an eyebrow in surprise at hearing Issy's request.

"Yes," stated Issy firmly with a nod of her head. She wanted a real job. She wanted to help build something.

Alex just stared at Issy for a second before smirking slightly at her expression. Despite having no hair, she couldn't help but think how much she looked like Piper when she was being stubborn.

"Well?" asked Issy as she tapped her foot slightly again the wooden floor of the room and continued to gaze up at Alex. She still hadn't been assigned to her task.

"Okay, why don't you help me finish building the crib? uh?" It was the best thing that Alex could come up with. She figured that Issy could hand her tools or something.

Issy debated this for a second before her face broke out into a small smile. She could do that, she thought as she headed over to where Alex was in the middle of the room.

Alex smiled at the six year old before once again kneeling down at the crib.

After the crib was built and the bedding put on, Issy told Alex where she thought it should go in the room. Alex had originally thought it should go against the left handed wall, but Issy wanted it against the wall with the wallpaper on it, right between the two windows.

That was were the changing table was at the moment.

As Alex stepped back after switching the changing table and crib around, she couldn't help but think that Issy had a good sense of design. She had originally thought that the crib would be too busy with the wallpaper and the bedding clashing but it surprising worked well.

* * *

_January 2023_

Piper stood in the middle of the bedroom, glaring at her closet...correction her and Alex's closet.

"Fuck," she swore as she continued to look at the overloaded closet. The closet had already been pretty full when it had just been her clothes occupying it but now with Alex's taking up half of it...it really looked crowded. The blonde chewed on her lower lip as she tried to figure out away to fix it, so it wasn't so crowed.

She had already moved a good portion of her wardrobe out yesterday, to make room for Alex but now she was starting to rethink this whole sharing a closet thing. It wasn't like the closet was small either. It took a good portion of a wall up.

There was also a dresser in the room that Piper had given half to Alex as well. The room had limited storage space.

She had been single for so long, she had forgotten what it was like to live with another human that wasn't under the age of five. She had forgotten what it was like to share with an adult. Sure Issy had tons of toys and clothes herself but she had her own room.

Alex didn't get that luxury. She had to share a room with Piper, something they hadn't done in twenty years.

"It's fine," stated the brunette as she came into the room, where Piper was still glaring at the closet as if she was Mary Poppins and it would magically fix it's self with a snap of her fingers.

"It's not fine," responded the blonde in annoyance. "It's way too fucking crowded."

Alex just laughed at her girlfriend as she came further into the room. Piper had been trying to reorganize the closet and make it look less crowded for over two hours now. It was a lost cause she thought.

"You just have too many clothes," whispered Alex playfully as she came up behind Piper and wrapped her arms around her waist, kissing the back of her neck in the process.

The blonde bated Alex on the arm at this, "I do not have too many clothes!"

Alex once again just laughed in response to this.

* * *

_February 2024_

Piper was at a lost for words as she stood in the middle of the room.

She could feel the tears brimming the edges of her eyes as she took it all in. She didn't know what to make of it. This was the last thing she had been expecting when she got home. When Issy had greeted her at the door, saying that Alex had a surprise for her, she thought that she meant that Alex had ordered in from her favourite Thai place down the street or something.

This was the last thing she had thought Alex would do.

They had been planning on decorating the nursery or at least getting a start on it this weekend. She didn't think that Alex would get it all done in one day.

"It's not complete yet," stated Alex from behind Piper, as if reading her mind. "I still have to put up the bookshelf and hang the pictures."

"I still can't believe you did all this," she still couldn't wrap her mind around it all. The nursery had turned out better than she had thought it would. The paint colour she had chosen a month ago, was softer than what she remembered and the white roller back drapes that covered the windows worked well in the room. Everything in the room was either neutral or soft and pastel in colour.

There was even a cream glider chair and matching ottoman in the corner of the room, beside the crib. That was another surprise for her.

"It's perfect," whispered Piper as she walked further into the room, a ran her hands along the rail of the crib. She glanced over her shoulder to where Alex stood in the doorway, their were tears glistening in her eyes.

Alex smiled back at her wife as she took a further step into the room.

"I helped," whispered Issy as she suddenly appeared behind Alex and smiled up at Piper.

Piper smiled as she drifted her attention onto her daughter. "Did you?"

"Yeah!" stated Issy proudly to her mother.

"She did," confirmed Alex as she placed a hand on her stepdaughter's shoulder.

* * *

Thanks for reading and please leave a review!

Julie


	12. Chapter 11

Do not own Orange Is the New Black or any of the characters.

* * *

**Overcast**

_**Chapter 11**_

_Surgery _

_February 2024_

"Are you scared?"

Issy looked up at Piper and shook her head slowly.

No, she wasn't scared, thought the six year old to herself.

There was little butterflies fluttering in her stomach, but they were only little _tiny_ baby butterflies. Not giant scary butterflies. Like those moths with the eyes on their wings, they had on display at the museum she had visited with her class last year.

No they were just _tiny_ yellow butterflies. The one's you saw on summer days. The pretty ones.

"It's okay to be scared," spoke Piper as her eyes scanned her daughter's face.

"I'm not scared, Mommy," whispered Issy as she reached out and took her hand, giving it a squeeze. She was letting Mommy know that she was a brave girl. The doctor had already explained to her what was going to happen and Mommy and Daddy as well. They were going to cut her stomach open and remove all the bad stuff from her, plus her kidney. And she wasn't going to feel a thing. They were going to give her a medication which would make her go to sleep.

That was it.

Piper could feel the tears building up in her eyes, but blinked them away as she smile down at her daughter. She hated how Issy was the one comforting her in this situation and not the other way around. When did her little girl become so grown up, she thought to herself. What had happened to that little girl who had come to her, asking her to kiss her boo-boos better.

"I love you," she whispered as she leaned down and kissed Issy's forehead.

"I love you too," murmured back Issy as she closed her eyes briefly and took a wift of Piper's vanilla scent. It comforted the butterflies in her stomach slightly as she continued to hold her hand.

It was just her and Piper in the small hospital room at the moment. Daddy was outside talking to the doctor about something and Momma Alex had gone to get coffee. It was very early in the morning. The sun wasn't even up yet, Issy had noted when Mommy had awaken her earlier to come here.

As she continued to hold Mommy's hand, she clenched tightly onto Marcie with her other.

xxx

Naomi and Larry sat opposite of Alex and Piper in the waiting room. There was a small TV in the corner of the room which had the morning news on it. The TV was mute, making the room deafening quiet. There were a few other people in the waiting room with them but no one was talking to each other.

Alex had been worried that it would be awkward when she heard that Naomi would be here with Larry but that was the last thing on her mind now. All anyone carried about was Issy.

She had been in surgery for an hour now. It was going to be a while longer before she got out.

Alex let out a deep breath as she glanced over at Piper who was staring off into the distance at something. She could tell by the look on her face that she was deep in thought, far away. She knew that Piper was scared, they all were but the doctor had explained everything to them.

The type of surgery that Issy was having done was called Radical Nephrectomy. Basically that meant they were going to make an ten inch cut along her stomach, just below her ribs and cut the tube and blood vessels move away before removing the entire kidney on her left side. The doctor had explained that the surgery had all the normal risks like any major surgery did but that this was Issy's best option for getting better. He had said that Issy would be able to live a completely healthy normal life with just one kidney.

Alex reached out and took Piper's hand into her own, giving it a squeeze. She knew that Piper wasn't with her presently but she wanted to let her wife know, that she would be here when she decided to come back to her.

Like she would always be.

Piper could feel the heat of Alex's hand pressing into her own but she didn't acknowledge her wife.

She couldn't.

Not with Larry and his wife seated right across from her. It was too weird, she thought as she continued to stare at the spot on the wall. It was just too fucking weird being here with Alex and Larry in the same room. Even years after how things had played out at Litchfield, it still felt strange to be with Alex well still talking to Larry. She hadn't thought it was possible for them to co-exist like this. But some how they had made it work in away.

Of course, none of this really mattered at the moment, she thought. All that mattered was her little girl who was lying on a metal table naked and exposed to a butch of strangers. A memory suddenly came over her of when Issy had been just born and she was giving her, her first bath.

Larry hadn't been there. She wasn't sure where he had been...but it had just been her and Issy. Issy had been such a tiny thing back then, she thought as she remembered how the weight of her body had felt like nothing in her arms as she had lowered her gently into the infant tub...

_"Ssssshhhhh..."cooed Piper as she tried to quiet the fussy infant in her arms. _

_Issy was screaming and crying, her small hands and legs failing as she lay naked and exposed. _

_"Sssshhhh..." whispered Piper again towards her daughter as she attempted again to lay her down in the warm water of the bath. Issy was only a few days old and her first night home. _

_After the power had returned at the Polly's Hamptons house, Piper and the baby had been transported by ambulance to a near by hospital, where they had been checked out and such. It was later on that night that Larry met his daughter and they named her Isabelle, after his grandmother. Piper had been the one to come up with the nickname, Issy. _

_Issy let out another wail as the warm water touched her exposed body for the first time. She clearly wasn't going to be a fan of bathes and being clean, as her mother was so fond of. _

_"I'm sorry sweetie," whispered Piper to the distressed infant. It tore her heart to hear those piercing cries come from her little mouth. "I know you don't like it...but it will be over soon...I promise..." _

_She continued to talk to the baby as she quickly cleaned the baby's body with a warm wet cloth, making sure to be careful of the umbilical cord stump. The nurses has the hospital had told her to leave it untreated and avoid cleaning it really until it fell off. _

_"Ssshhhh..." Piper lifted Issy gently from the tub and quickly wrapped her up in a towel as she began to cry louder. She was probably freezing, thought Piper as she dried off the whimpering Issy and brought her up to her chest. She kissed the baby's crown and cheek, trying to get her to settle down. _

_"Ssshhhh...it's all going to be okay...Mommy's here..."_

Piper suddenly let go of Alex's hand and hailed herself as best as she could up onto her feet. She didn't know where she was headed but she needed suddenly to get out of that fucking room. It felt like the walls were so slowly caving in on her there. She could feel her emotions once again taking control of her body. Her eyes filled with tears as she pushed her way out of the waiting room and began to walk as quickly as she could down the hallway. Her hands clenched her stomach as she passed by all the people, the nurses, the doctors, the other sick children on the floor...

She tried to hold back her tears but was failing to do so. With each step she took, another part of her unravelled. She assumed she looked like a crazy pregnant woman as she continued to make her way to her destination.

"Excuse me," she cried as she pushed her way passed two old ladies and into the stairwell. She carefully walked down the first flight of stairs before coming to a rest. Her heart was racing and every muscle in her body was aching as she lowered herself down onto the last step of the stair, holding onto the wall for support.

Tears streamed down her face as a low sob escaped from her throat. Emotions rocked through her frame, shaking her shoulders violently. Her heart was hammering against her chest as she suddenly found it hard to breathe.

If she was a religious person, this would be the time that she would get down on her knees and pray for her daughter's life. To pray for the pain to go away. To pray for the illness to leave her daughter's body and for her to return back to her vibrant healthy little girl...

But Piper wasn't religious. She hadn't prayed since that day in the wreck room at Litchfield with Pennsatucky, way, way before shit had gone down. Back when she had still been struggling with who she really was.

That seemed like a lifetime ago.

It took Alex a good ten minutes to finally locate her wife.

Someone had told her they had seen a pregnant woman disappear down the stairs. As she pushed open the door she heard the cries of her wife echo from down below. It made her heart sink to hear Piper so upset.

Alex slowly walked down the flight of stairs, until she discovered Piper on the landing between floors. She stood there for a moment looking down at her before taking the seat beside her wife.

Piper looked over at her in surprise. She didn't think anyone would find her.

Alex didn't say anything as she wrapped her arms around Piper's frame, pulling her to her chest. She stroked her wife's hair as she felt her tears fall onto her neck.

"Ssssshhhhh..." she whispered as she pressed a kiss to Piper's forehead and rocked her back and forth slightly.

* * *

_March 2023_

"Everyone meet the newest addition to the family, Mister Luca Anthony Nichols!" There was pride in Nicky's voice as she held her newborn son in her arms.

"Oh my god," whispered Piper as she brought a hand up to her mouth and appeared down at the tiny little being in Nicky's arms. "He's beautiful!"

Luca was a big baby of nine pounds. He had been born with a full crown of thick brown hair. He was all Lorna from the colouring of his skin to the shape of his face. He was swaddled in a blue blanket and matching hat.

"Congrats, you guys!" stated Alex as she looked down at the baby before glancing up and meeting Nicky's eye. She would never had thought that Nicky and Lorna would ever have kids. The topic of babies had never come up in their circle before really. But soon after the wedding, Nicky had told them that they were trying. Lorna had always wanted to have a family and after saving over the years and with a little help from Red, they had been able to pay for the IntraUterine Insemination. They had decided that Lorna would be the one to carry the baby.

"Thanks," whispered Nicky, who was suddenly overcome with emotion. She had never thought she would have a kid of her own. Issy, was the closest thing to parenthood she would ever get, she had believed and she was fine with that. But after the birth of her son, she wondered why the thought had never crossed her mind.

"Can I hold him?" asked Issy as she looked up at Nicky.

"Of course you can," replied Nicky to her Goddaughter.

Alex then helped Issy into a near by chair as Nicky told her how to support the back of his head with her hand. The five year old nodded her head and concentrated hard on the task.

"How are you feeling?" asked Piper as she glanced over to Lorna who was propped up in the hospital bed.

"A little tired," answered Lorna with a smile on her face. "But good."

"I remember the feeling," stated Piper as she reached out and squeezed Lorna's hand. She remembered clearly all the emotions she had gone through after giving birth to Issy. The two women continued to stare at each other for a second before glancing over to were Issy was seated holding Luca.

"Take a picture," spoke Piper towards Alex. She had never seen Issy look so grown up then she did at this moment with Luca in her arms. It made her heart pang slightly to have another one. She loved Issy to pieces but she couldn't help but think how she wanted to experience the whole thing again, with Alex. They hadn't talked about kids, but seeing Nicky and Lorna go through the whole pregnancy, made her secretly wish for another baby.

"I'm on it," replied Alex as she reached into her back pocket and pulled out her phone.

"Iss," she whispered drawing the attention of the little girl.

Issy immediately looked up at this and smiled for Alex.

* * *

_February 2024_

"The surgery went well."

"Can I see her?" asked Piper in a urgent whisper. She was glad to hear that the surgery had gone well but she needed to see her little girl first, to see her breathing before hearing anything else.

"In a bit, she's is just being taken now to the ICU," explained the surgeon gently towards Piper. He knew that she wanted to make sure her daughter was okay, most parents acted this way but he needed to tell her how the surgery had gone first. " During the surgery We removed the whole kidney, the fatty tissues surrounding the kidney and a portion of the tube connecting the kidney to the bladder, the ureter. As well as the adrenal gland."

"So is the cancer gone now?" asked Larry.

The doctor turned his attention away from Piper and over to Larry. "We were successful, yes in removing the whole tumour from Issy but there is still traces of it on the lining of her abdomen. Which we are watching closely, making sure it does not spread further.

"Okay," stated Larry as if he was making a business deal of sorts with the doctor. He looked briefly over at his wife before turning his attention onto the doctor, again.

"Issy will be in slight pain and discomfort for the next couple of days. I would like her to stay at the hospital for about seven days to recover and ensure that no infection develops and monitoring her kidney function," explained the surgeon as clearly as possible to them.

"Can I see her?" repeated Piper again. She didn't want to have to think about her little girl with only having one kidney now. She knew that Issy could live a perfectly healthy life with just one, but it still made her upset to think about it. She had heard what the surgeon had, said but like everything it went in one ear and out the other. She couldn't focus on this medical stuff, she found. She tried to listen, but she found her mind went somewhere else when the doctor and cancer specialist were explaining stuff to her.

The surgeon smiled kindly at Piper and nodded his head slowly to her. He knew like every mother, she just wanted to see her child. He had already said enough to them at the moment. The rest could wait until afterwards.

* * *

Thanks for reading!

Julie


	13. Chapter 12

Do not own Orange Is the New Black or any of the characters.

* * *

**Overcast**

_**Chapter 12**_

_Tantrums And Smiles _

_March 2024_

It was the 2nd of March and Luca's first birthday.

Nicky and Lorna were having a small party at their house to celebrate their son's first birthday.

It had started an hour ago and like everything now a days with the Vauses, they were running late.

It has been about three weeks since Issy had under went surgery. She wasn't exactly back to normal yet, but she was slowly getting there or so it seemed. It had taken the little girl about a week to recover in the hospital before she had been allowed to go home. Since the main source of the cancer, the tumour had been removed from her, she was still undergoing chemotherapy,but as well as radiation treatments to tackle the cancer cells linings her abdomen.

Before the surgery, Issy had received all her treatments through her arm but now she had a catheter, a small tub sticking out just below her collar bone, which had been inserted during the surgery into a large blood vessel. All her chemo treatments were now received through the catheter.

Alex and Piper hadn't been sure if they would make the party at all that day. Issy who had been at the hospital for several days now receiving radiation to her abdomen, as well as chemo, was not at her best. Issy, who had finished her last radiation treatment the previous day had been suffering from nausea and bad diarrhea.

But the little girl wanted to go to the party. Everyone was going and she didn't want to miss out on the fun.

"Mommy! Let's go!" Issy who was still in her pyjamas stood at the front door in her winter boots and coat, beckoning her mother to come. Piper had already told her that she wasn't well enough to go, but Issy wouldn't listen.

Like her mother, she was being stubborn.

"Isa!" Piper came waddling down the hallway, towards where her daughter stood. "I told you...we aren't going to the party. You aren't well." Piper hated to upset her daughter, but the doctor had said she should take it easy. They had already told Lorna that they probably won't make it for the party, but would stop by later with Luca's gift.

"I feel fine!" stated Issy firmly as Piper knelt down in front of her.

"Issy, the doctor said you need to rest..." Piper hated to tell her daughter she couldn't go to Luca's party. But Lorna was having her whole family over and it would be to big of a risk for Issy that she might catch a cold or something. She was still recovering from surgery and her immune system wasn't the strongest at the moment.

"I don't want to rest," stated the six year old stubbornly as she crossed her arms over her chest and glared at her mother. "I want to go to the party!"

"I know you do, baby," whispered Piper as she reached out and caressed her daughter's cheek. "But you can't."

Tears welled up in Issy's brown eyes at hearing this. It wasn't fair, she thought. She didn't get why she couldn't go to the party. She was suppose to help out Luca blow out his candles.

"I want to go!" she stated, her voice quivering slightly.

"Issy...there will be too many people there and you could get sick...we will go see Luca after the party is over..." Piper was trying to explain to the six year old that it was too much of a risk for her to go to the party.

"I'm already sick!" whispered Issy in a small voice.

"Yes, but you could get even sicker by going to the party and we wouldn't want that..." Piper's eyes pleaded with her daughter to understand what she was telling her. She didn't want to scare Issy, but she didn't want to keep her in the dark and pretend that everything was fine for her when it wasn't.

Issy was quiet for a moment as she let out a sniffle and rubbed her nose. Her wet brown eyes pierced into her mother's, thinking over what she had just told her.

"I don't care! I want to go to the party!" Her voice rose as she cried out once again. She didn't care if she got sick...she wanted to go to the party. Issy took a step away from her mother and moved towards the front door, trying to unlock it.

"ISABELLE!" cried out Piper suddenly as her daughter unlocked the front door, sending a cold breeze into the foyer of the house. "You close that door, right now!" Piper didn't want to yell at her daughter but she wasn't listening to her.

Issy stood in the threshold of the house, glaring at Piper. Her brow was creased in a sour expression. "I want to go to the party!" stated the little girl stubbornly again.

"I told you, we're going later on to see Luca and wish him a happy birthday," Piper's voice was calm, but firm as she slowly rose to her feet and went over to close the door.

Issy didn't fight Piper as she began to take off her winter jacket and hat but she did continue to sulk. She really wanted to go to that party. Mother and daughter continued to be quiet as Piper helped Issy get out of her winter boots before taking her hand and leading upstairs.

"Alex will be home soon and then we can watch a movie, kay!" explained Piper as she lead Issy into the master bedroom. It was a treat that Issy got to watch TV in their room. Something they had been letting her do more and more often, especially since the surgery.

"Kay," mumbled Issy in reply as she climbed into the King sized bed and allowed for Piper to tuck the covers around her. The little girl was a little disappointed that she couldn't go to the party but was happy that she would get to watch a movie with both Mommy and Momma Alex in their bed.

Leaning down, Piper pressed a kiss to Issy's forehead. "I'll be right back," she whispered before leaving the room. She was going to go get the house phone before joining her daughter in bed. Alex would be back any moment with the food.

Issy leaned back against the pillows of the bed and let out a sigh. She rubbed her eyes were tears still lingered before closing them. A wave of exhaustion suddenly crashed over her little body. Her eyelids began to grow heavy as she stared across the room at the television on the dresser. Mommy had the news station on currently. That was boring, thought the six year old as she rubbed at her eyes again.

Issy tried hard not to fall asleep but no matter how much she blinked and rubbed her eyes, sleep consumed her as she watched the weekly weather forecast.

Piper couldn't help but smile as she came back into the room with the phone in her hand and saw Issy fast asleep in the large bed. The little girl had clearly worn herself out with her slight tantrum earlier.

She leaned forward and kissed her daughter on the forehead before leaving the room once again, closing the door behind her.

xxx

"Where's the kid?" asked Alex as she was greeted by Piper at the front door.

"She's asleep," replied Piper as she took the bag of food from Alex's hands.

"Asleep!?" Alex was surprise to hear this. When she had left, Issy had been full of energy and fighting with Piper to go to the party.

"Yeah, she had a bit of a melt down after you left and must have worn herself out," explained Piper. "I put her in our bed and when I cam back, she was out like a light."

Alex couldn't help but smile at this. "She's like her mother," she teased as she closed the front door and began to take off her jacket.

"Oh shut up!" cried out Piper as she squatted Alex on the arm with her free hand. So what if she dozed off every now and then since becoming pregnant. "You would fall asleep too if you were carrying another person around!"

Alex's smirked deepened at hearing this. The two women held each others gazes for a second longer before Piper began to make her way down the hallway towards the kitchen. Alex's eyes trailed her, watching as her small rump swayed back and forth. She bit her inner cheek, suppressing her laughter. Piper was beginning to waddle and she didn't like to hear it.

However, Alex loved it. She found it extremely cute...Piper's little waddle.

She continued to think about it, while she finished taking off her boots and headed into the kitchen.

* * *

_March 2023_

Piper was fast asleep beside Alex in bed.

It was late and Alex had to be up early the next morning for work. She should really be sleeping, she thought but she couldn't get her mind to settle down. She kept on thinking about the weight of Baby Luca in her arms. It had been a while since she had held such a small human-being in her arms like that. She couldn't even remember if she had ever held a newborn really.

Alex had never really spent much time around babies.

But either way, the experience had changed her. She couldn't seem to stop thinking about how small his hands had been compared to her own. And how surprised she had been when he had reached out and grasped her finger, wrapping those little fingers around it. She had been taken back by the strength of his grip.

Alex slowly turned on her side, being careful not to awaken Piper. Her green eyes studied her sleeping face in the darken room. Never before had she had such a strong feeling for something then she did at this very moment as she continued to think about Baby Luca. Over the twenty years that Alex and Piper had known each other, they had gone through many things together. But there were still a couple things they had yet to experience together.

One being marriage and the other being having a child together.

They had yet to talk about either.

Alex knew that she wanted to marry Piper, but the last year had just been about getting to know each other again in this new stage of life. And it had been one hell of an adventure, she thought. She was more in love with Piper now then she had ever been before, she thought.

Alex had only just moved in with Piper and Issy over a month ago now into their apartment. And yes that had been a transition all on it's own. But Alex loved her life at the moment. Something she hadn't liked very much in twenty years. Not since those first few years with Piper, spent traveling the world.

She had everything. She had a woman she loved and had Issy as an added bounce to the package. She never would had thought she would fall in love with the little girl, who's conception had ruined her relationship with Piper in the first place. However, she had fallen in love with the little spite fire just like everyone else who met her did.

Alex was content with her life at the moment. But she couldn't help but think she wanted more. She had never been one for settling down and wanting to have a family. But seeing her two good friends go through the transition of becoming parents for the first time, she couldn't help but think she was missing out on something. Alex wasn't exactly young anymore, she was nearing her 46th birthday in July. If she wanted to have a baby with Piper, she would have to do it soon, she thought. She wasn't even sure if Piper wanted another one.

The topic of babies hadn't come up for them.

But now, Alex wanted it to be a topic between them.

She would love to see Piper's stomach round and big with child, she thought as she reached out and placed her hand on the flatness of the blonde's stomach.

"I want one," she whispered out loud into the stillness of the room. The thought both scared and excited her.

* * *

_March 2024_

After Issy's brief nap, all three of them had gathered in the bed to watch a movie of Issy's choice and ate take-out. It was just like when they had first moved into the house and spend their weekends in bed.

Issy hadn't eaten much since she was still suffering from nausea but other then that, she seemed like her normal self. She laughed and chatted both Alex's and Piper's ear off during the movie. The issue about missing the party seemed to behind the six year old at the moment.

She was calm now, which was good.

She always enjoyed hanging out with Mommy and Momma. It was fun to get to stay in her pyjamas and hang out eating in their bed. She wasn't allowed to eat in her own bed, so she found it thrilling that she got to eat in theirs.

Issy's laughter filled the room as she felt the baby move and kick against her hands. She loved to feel the movements of her little sister.

The movie had ended and the credits were rolling down the television screen but no one was paying attention anymore as they looked at Piper's stomach.

"She wants to come out!" stated the six year old with a smile on her face.

"I'm sure she does," responded Alex as her eyes looked down at the Piper's stomach. It amazed her, how you can practically see the baby moving in there. Piper was almost seven months pregnant, meaning that the baby was fourteen inches long now and was frequenting changing positions. Not only now did you can see the baby's foot press against Piper's stomach when she kicked but the poke of an elbow and such. It was kinda freaky at times but also kinda amazing, she found.

"But she still needs to stay in there for a couple more weeks," added Piper as she looked between Issy and Alex. If the baby was born now, she would be premature and wouldn't weigh more than two or three pounds.

"I know!" whispered Issy as she smiled at Piper before leaning forward and kissing her stomach. She knew they would have to wait a more weeks until the baby was born but she couldn't wait for that day to come. She was very much looking forward to meeting her little sister.

Piper couldn't help but smile at seeing her daughter interact with her pregnant belly. It was nice to see Issy excited about the baby. She had been worried that her daughter might not be so welcoming to being a big sister again.

The three of them did so well as a family already, she had been afraid that a new addition would throw off the balance, but Issy was more than excited to hear that Piper was pregnant.

And that it was girl, especially.

Everybody they knew had boys, so the little girl was excited that there was going to be a girl.

Leaning forward, Alex kissed Piper on the neck, finding her hand underneath the sheets and squeezing it.

A small smile appeared on the blonde's face as she caught her wife's eye. Issy's wasn't the only one excited about the baby coming. They all were looking forward to the new arrival, despite the shitty timing at the moment.

* * *

_August 2023_

The sky was a dreary gray colour as Piper and Alex left the house together. It was a cool summer day as the wind suddenly picked up.

Piper nervously reached out and took Alex's hand as they walked along the sidewalk, towards the subway. They were on there way to the fertility clinic.

Today was the day that they would become pregnant or so they hoped. After much discussion and going back and forth on the matter, they had decided that Piper would be the one to carry the baby. But instead of using her own egg, she wanted it to be Alex's.

She wanted to have Alex's baby.

It was a little more risky because Alex was in her mid-forties now. But after extracting her eggs, and using a sperm donor. The clinic had been successful in creating six embryos, which would all be inserted into Piper today, in hopes that one of them would latch on.

Alex glanced over at Piper, and smiled as she gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. She knew that Piper was nervous, she was too. This was there only chance of doing this. They had both agreed that if it didn't work this once time, then they would take it as a sign that it wasn't meant to be.

Plus, they already had Issy.

She was all they really needed in the end.

Alex loved the little girl to pieces and she was already starting to think of her as her own. But at the same time, she wanted to experience the whole parenthood thing with Piper from the beginning from the peeing on the stick to the getting fat to raising a little person together. She use to think she wasn't one for nesting and babies. And maybe it was because she was older now and realized she didn't have all the time in the world anymore to do things.

But Alex Vause for once in her life was very well aware of the ticking of her biological clock.

She had been a little surprise that Piper had suggested that they use her eggs. She didn't need a little mini-me running around or anything like that. She just knew that she wanted to have a child with Piper. She was perfectly happy with using Piper's eggs. But the blonde had insisted. She had said she already had a child of her own, she had her mini-me. She wanted to have Alex's child, this time around. It would complete their family, she said if they had one of each of them.

So that's what they were doing now or trying to at least.

They hadn't told anyone they were trying in case it didn't work out. The only person who knew was Red. The Russian woman had coast it out of Piper one day, after she had been babysitting Issy and the clinic had phoned.

Red had been happy to hear that they were trying for a baby.

* * *

_March 2024_

"Well, there's my favourite girl!" stated Red as she opened the door and looked down at Issy with a wide smile. Over the past two years that Red had gotten to know Issy, she had grown a close relationship with her.

"Hi!" greeted back Issy with a smile. She was very happy to see Red at the moment.

Bending down, Red hugged Issy before letting her further into the house. The Russian then turn to look at her two other favourite girls. She smiled as she looked between Alex and Piper.

"Hi Red," whispered Piper as the Russian gathered her into her arms. It still amazed her how far their relationship had grown since that first meeting day in the cafeteria at Litchfield.

"You look tired," stated the Russian as she clasped her hands on either side of the blonde's face and stared directly into her eyes.

Piper couldn't help but blush slightly, her gaze withering away for a second. She suddenly felt guilty and she wasn't hundred percent sure why. Red just always made her feel like she was a child who had just got caught with their hand in the cookie jar or something.

Red pressed a kiss to Piper's forehead before murmuring a few words softly in Russian before letting her go. She smiled gently at Piper as she caught her eye once again as she passed her into the house.

Red's attention then went straight to Alex, she frowned once again as she saw the deep circles underneath her eyes which she had failed to cover up. "You look tired too," stated the Russian. "Do known of my girls sleep anymore?!"

Alex just shrugged her shoulders at this. She didn't know what to tell Red. Getting a full eight hours of sleep nowadays was the last thing on her mind.

The two women were silent for a second as they continued to look at each other before Red was smiling and pulling Alex into a hug. Alex couldn't help but smile as she hugged the Russian back. It was always good to see Red, she thought. She had become like a mother to all of them. She had been so good to each of them over the years. Red hadn't always been warm to Alex at the beginning but they had soon found an understanding with each other. Red had been there for her when no one else had been. When her world had spun out of her control it seemed, when Piper had broken her heart for what she had said would be the last time. And now years out of Litchfield, Red was still there supporting them. She had been great to Piper and Alex during these last three months. She was always dropping off dishes of food and groceries each week or so. She was always making sure her girls had something to eat.

After they all made it into the house, there was another round of greetings as Nicky and Lorna ushered them into the living room. The party had ended about an hour ago now or so. There were a few of Lorna's family members still lingering about but for the most part, all the guests had left.

"Sit, sit!" commanded Lorna to both Alex and Piper. "Just sit!"

They couldn't help but laugh at Lorna's pushiness as they did what they were told and took a seat on the couch.

"Now can I get you something to drink? Eat? We have plenty of birthday cake and food left over!" Lorna's mouth was going a mile a minute it seemed as she hovered over her friends. She just wanted them to be comfortable.

"Water fine for me," replied Alex as she looked up at Lorna. The small Italian woman hadn't changed one bit over the years, she still wore her signature red lipstick each day and referred to West Side Story time and time again.

"Tea? if you have...if not just water," Piper didn't want Lorna to make a fuss over them.

"I'll put the kettle on!" Lorna replied cheerfully as she clapped her hands loudly together and smile broadly at the couple before leaving the room.

"Where's the birthday boy?" asked Piper over to Nicky as she came into the room holding Issy.

"He's sleeping off his sugar high," joked Nicky as she took a seat on a chair and placed Issy onto her lap. "Should have seen him with that cake! Green and blue icing smeared all over his face and hair. It was hilarious!"

"I'm sorry we missed it," replied Piper with a sadden smile.

"No worries Chapman!" Nicky's brown eyes blazed into Piper's with understanding. "I completely get it." She got why they had missed the party. They were just trying to keep their little girl healthy. She would probably have done the same if it had been Luca.

As they waited for Lorna to come back with their drinks, Nicky began to tell them all about the party from start to finish. Red, who was seated on another chair in the room added in every now and then.

* * *

Thanks for reading and please review!

Julie


	14. Chapter 13

Do not own Orange Is the New Black or any of the characters.

This is a slightly short chapter.

* * *

**Overcast**

_**Chapter 13**_

_Failures _

_March 2024_

The room was deafeningly silent as they waited for the doctor to show up.

Piper's heart was racing as she stared up at the clock on the wall, watching the seconds go by. They were in the doctor's office. He wanted to talk to them about something they'd found on Issy's latest scans.

Piper was nervous to say the least. She had a bad feeling about what the doctor had found. Plus, they were in his office. He never talked to them here. She just knew something else was wrong with her baby, now...

She ran her hands nervously over her bump and jiggled her leg. She was trying to think positively, but was failing. Her mind ultimately went to the worse possible situations.

The blonde turned her head and looked over her shoulder just as the office door opened and the doctor came in. He met Piper's eye but his expression stayed blank as he came further into the room.

The room remained quiet as the door made a soft thudding noise as it closed and the doctor took a seat behind the desk. He had a file of sorts in his hand. Piper licked her lips as she eyed the file. She knew that was Issy's file and in it was the test results. She swallowed nervously as she caught Larry's eye. He looked nervous too, she noted.

Reaching out, he took Piper's hand and squeezed it. It wasn't an intimate gesture or anything like that, just a comforting one. They might not be a couple any more but they were parents together. And sometimes it wasn't easy but over the last six years, they had found away to coexist and be somewhat friends for the sake of their daughter.

Piper squeezed his hand back before drifting her attention onto the doctor, who was staring grimly at them.

"I'm just going to come right out and say it," he stated as he unfolded his hands and lay them flat on the surface of the desk. He took a brief pause, looking between Piper and Larry before speaking again. "The cancer has spread."

Piper found herself squeezing Larry's hand hard as she continued to stare at the doctor, waiting for him to continue.

"We discovered another tumour on Issy's right kidney," the doctor's voice was calm as he explained the results of Issy's latest MRI scans. "It isn't as big as the other one had been, but it's a fairly good size."

Piper didn't know how to response to this as another blanket of silent fell over them. She didn't know what to make of this. Issy couldn't have another tumour, that wasn't possible, she thought. She'd gone through all that chemo and radiation. The cancer was suppose to be going away, she thought bitterly as angry tears filled her eyes. This wasn't right she thought. Issy was suppose to be getting better...not worse.

She was barely paying attention to what the doctor was saying now as she drifted into her thoughts.

Her heart grew heavy as she thought about her little girl. Issy was out in the waiting room with Naomi and the twins at the moment.

Her precious little girl...

Issy conception might had been a mistake and not planned at all but it was one of the best mistakes of her life. She couldn't image how her life would be without Issy in it. She knew if she hadn't slept with Larry all those years ago and conceived her daughter, that she would had stayed with Alex, probably. She would had been at Litchfield every weekend, visiting her while she served her time, just like she had at the beginning. Things would've been hard between them but she knew they would've made it work and that it would've been her picking up Alex when she had gotten released and not Nicky.

That they would have gotten married and maybe had a baby...Just like they were now.

Or maybe, during those years while Alex was still serving her time and Piper wasn't, she would have screwed it up in some other way than with sleeping with her ex-fiancé. That she would've once again ruin something good between her and Alex, separating them forever. Issy had torn them apart but she had always in some way brought her and Alex back together. And now they were a family.

The blonde knew it was stupid to be thinking about the what-ifs of her past, especially when the doctor was talking about another tumour but she couldn't help herself. She didn't want to have to face the future yet. She didn't want to have to think about Issy having to have another surgery. Or anything else like that. She suddenly slip her hand out of Larry's and rubbed the sides of her stomach.

She could feel the baby moving, again.

"So what does this all mean?" she heard Larry ask the doctor. "Will you go in and remove the tumour? Will she need a transplant?"

"Well, we're going to have to be delicate...on what we do this time around," explained the doctor. "Issy only has one kidney at the moment. The kidney that the tumour is resting on. Normally, we would go in and remove the tumour and such. Similar to how we treated the other one. However, her body is relying more than ever on this kidney..."

Piper once again tuned Larry and the doctor out.

She didn't want to have to hear the rest. She didn't want to think about her daughter having to be on a donor list of some kind, needing a kidney to live. She was too young for this she thought.

It wasn't suppose to be like this.

She continued to rub her stomach as she fought the urge to cry. She knew there was nothing she could have done to prevent all this from happening but she couldn't help but think how she failed. It wasn't the first time she was thinking this and probably wouldn't be the last. She wouldn't fail this little one though, she thought as she looked down at her stomach. She would make sure that this one, who still didn't have a name or was even close to having one, would never get sick. That she would do everything in her power that she didn't have to go through what her big sister currently was going through. She knew it was impossible to predict what would happen to this little one growing inside of her but it gave her a sense of comfort now to think that she had some sort of power to prevent her child from getting sick.

xxx

Alex's eyes green eyes pierced into Larry's face, hanging onto every word that came out of his mouth as he explained to her what the doctor had said. Issy was to be admitted into the hospital tonight for further testing before they came up with a plan to treat the current tumour.

But from the sounds of it all, it didn't sound very good, whatever they came up with. The tumour was smaller then the other once had been but they couldn't just go in and cut her open and remove it, without permanently damaging her only functioning kidney. They could treat the tumour with more regressive rounds of chemo and radiation in hopes of shrinking the tumour into a smaller size to remove. However both options put Issy in risk of going into kidney failure and ultimately needing a kidney transplant.

That being said, it was too early to think about that, the doctor had explained. They needed to treat this with baby steps.

Alex nodded her head in understanding to all this and rubbed the side of her face. Her mind was racing at all this new information but she was trying not to think of the worse. Like the doctor had said, they shouldn't focus on the negative. They had caught the cancer early this time which was good. This tumour wasn't as large in size as the other one had been. And there was no other new traces of the cancer found within Issy's body. It was still on the lining of her stomach and now in her right kidney but that was it. This was a good sign , they were going to do more testing and a full body scan just to make sure that the cancer wasn't anywhere else within her body.

Alex couldn't think about Issy needing a transplant or having to be cut open again...

She needed to remained positive she thought as her eyes drifted away from Larry and over to where Piper was, who was seated off in the distance in the waiting room, cradling Issy in her arms.

Piper hadn't spoken a word since she had gotten here.

It had been Larry who had called her down to the hospital.

Alex had cursed at herself for deciding to go in to work that day and not coming down with Piper and Issy. She couldn't help but think how she had failed her family in someway. She hated how Larry had been there for Piper, holding her hand while she got the news. It should had been her there with her wife. She had thought it would just be another check-up day. She hadn't expected that they would find more cancer.

She thanked Larry before going over to her wife.

She knew that Piper wouldn't be in a good emotional state at the moment.

"Hey," Alex whispered as she knelt down in front of where Piper was seated. Both Issy and Piper looked up at her at this.

"Hey," whispered back Piper. Her voice was very small sounding to Alex's ears. The couple continued to look at one another for the longest time after this. They didn't know what to say to each other.

What could they say really?

There were no words in the English language which could make this situation any better. That would take the pain and sadness away from everything. There was nothing. They could only hope and pray that the chemo and radiation would take the cancer away.

That things would get better.

Reaching out, Alex laced her fingers with Pipers and squeezed her wife's hand. Her eyes pierced into hers with utter love and devotion. She silently communicated with Piper that she was here for her. They continued to look at each other for a moment longer, before Alex drifted her attention onto Issy.

The little girl had her head resting on Piper's shoulder. Her eyes were half closed but fluttered open when she noticed Alex staring at her.

Alex gave her stepdaughter a small smile. She didn't want to scare her anymore than she probably already was.

xxx

"We'll get through this kid."

It was later on now as Piper and Alex stood alone in the hallway. Larry had left briefly to drop his wife and kids off at home before coming back. Issy was currently in the OR getting a biopsy done on the tumour. They were going to get a sample of the tumour, like they had on the last one to see the histology on it. After the sample was looked at by a pathologist underneath a microscope, they were going to see what the best treatment would be to cure the cancer.

Alex had her forehead pressed against Pipers and was holding her in her arms. Piper had yet to say anything really to her. She knew that her wife was in shock over the recent events. It was a shock to them all.

They all thought that Issy was getting some what better but that wasn't the case. It was only a few days ago that Issy had been laughing and running around playing with Luca after his party. She had seemed better, better than she had been in a long time but during all that there had been a tumour growing inside of her.

Piper just shook her head sadly at this and continued to look at the floor. Tears fell down her cheeks one by one. She didn't know how they would get through this new development. Nothing seemed to be getting better for them. She was tired of all this, she thought. She wanted it all to fucking go away by now.

She wanted her healthy happy girl back.

Alex wrapped her arms further around her wife as best as she could. She kissed her softly on the mouth before bringing her head to rest on her shoulder. It was there that Alex rocked Piper back and forth like a child. She knew there was very little she could say or do to comfort Piper. Her hands rubbed circles along Piper's back as she felt her tears soak into her shirt.

The brunette compressed her own emotions down as she continued to cradle her wife.

xxx

Issy was groggy and extremely tired as she slowly opened her eyes and looked up at the people surrounding her.

There was Mommy, Momma Alex and Daddy.

She didn't remember when Momma Naomi and the twins had left. But she figured it must had been when they had taken her to get that big needled stuck into her. The six year old blinked her eyes, trying to stay awake before drifting back into a slumber.

She awoke a few moments later, more alert. She didn't say anything as her eyes once again took in her surroundings. She was once again hooked up to a IV and there was a tube running through her nose. She wondered when she would be able to take these off and go home. She didn't want to stay here tonight, she thought as she noticed that there was another kid in the room, in the bed beside hers.

Her brown eyes stared on at the kid for a moment before looking back up at her loved ones. Mommy had a goofy expression on her face. It was a expression she wore most days now, she noted. She looked like she was in the middle of crying but was trying to laugh instead.

Issy looked on at Mommy for a moment or two longer before shifting her eyes to Daddy, who stood on the other side. He smiled broadly down at her.

"Hey, kiddo!" he whispered.

She didn't really know what was going on. She assumed something bad had happened because everyone was only talking to her in soft whispers, even the doctor. No one had really explained to her what they had found, just that she needed to get more tests done and to stay overnight at the hospital. She wasn't looking forward to this at all. She hated staying here. Plus, she didn't want to have to share a room with that other kid.

She looked back at the other kid, who was staring straight back at her. She glared at him for a second longer before focusing her eyes onto Alex. Like Daddy, she could sense Momma was holding back her emotions as she smiled a little too broadly down at her.

"What's wrong?" asked the six year old towards her stepmother, knowing that she would give her a straight answer.

But before she could get her answer, the doctor came into the room, leaving her question to be hung in the air. The little girl frowned slightly at this. She didn't liked to be ignored as everyone's attention shifted away from her and onto the doctor.

* * *

Thanks for reading and please review!

Julie


	15. Chapter 14

Do not own Orange Is the New Black or any of the characters.

* * *

**Overcast**

_**Chapter 14**_

_Failures Part 2_

_March 2024_

A week had passed and Issy hadn't left the hospital.

After a sample of the tumour had been taken from Issy and looked at further. They had discovered that the tumour was favorable, so that was a good sign. It was just like the last one had been. However, things had seemed to go from bad to worse quickly this time around.

Issy was having a bad reaction to the new chemo treatment they were trying on her. They wanted to try to shrink the tumour, like they had the last one before going into surgery. Everything seemed to be happening much more rapidly this time around. Issy had developed a slight fever on the first night she had stayed over and then she couldn't seem to keep anything down. The dosage of the chemo was too much for her little body to handle.

They had since changed the dosage, so it wasn't so overpowering but it still was taking a toil on Issy.

She was currently asleep as Piper hovered over her, pressing a cold cloth to her forehead. The little girl still had a fever. It broke Piper's heart to see her daughter like this. She had always hated when she was sick but seeing her like this, with tubes coming out of her and such.

It was too much.

Piper was alone at the moment.

Ever since the second tumour had been found, family and friends had been coming down to visit Issy in the hospital. Polly and her family, had been down in the City for the last couple of days. This had surprised the blonde. Polly had always been supportive through out the last couple of months but since this new development, she had been even more supportive. She had practically uprooted her family, so that she could be there for Piper and her Piper's brothers, Danny and Cal had come to see Issy and offering their services. Cal had offered to fix a few things around the house for his sister, and even try to work on that laundry machine which always seemed to be breaking down. Everyone who knew Alex and Piper and their family, was trying to pitch in, in anyway to help them out.

Piper hummed softly to herself as she continued to attend to her daughter. They were in a private hospital room at the moment. Piper had taken great care to decorate the room with family photos and pictures that Polly's boys, Finn, Sebastian and Eli had drawn. As well as her cousins. She wanted to make the room cheerful and feel more like home for her daughter.

She knew that they would be here for a while. She was trying not to think about that and just take everything day by day but her mind did go there time and time again. The doctors were talking about having surgery next week to remove the tumour or a good portion of it. They had to be careful this time around of course. Issy only had the one kidney now to survive with. They would have to make sure to leave enough healthy tissue left to avoid her having kidney failure.

Piper tried like everything else, not to think about that. She knew there was a good chance her daughter could need a transplant but she wouldn't think about it until that day happened.

"Pipes, you should really sleep," Polly had just stepped into the room to see Piper up on her feet, leaning over Issy.

Piper barely looked over her shoulder towards her friend. She didn't want to have this discussion. Everyone kept on telling her, how she should sleep and get some rest. But she didn't want too. Issy would be up soon and she needed her.

"I'm fine," she stated as she continued to gently stroke the six year olds feverish skin with the now cold wet towel.

She heard Polly sigh loudly behind her but she ignored it. She didn't see why everyone kept on asking if her was okay, it was Issy they had to worry about, she thought. She wasn't the one fighting for her life, her daughter was the one.

"Come on Pipes," whispered Polly as she came up behind Piper and touched her on the crook of the arm. "She's sleeping and you need to be too."

Piper just shrugged Polly off as she stepped away from the bed suddenly and moved to the other side. She didn't want to hear this lecture again. Why couldn't people leave her alone for once?

Polly just stared at Piper for a moment longer before giving up. She knew it was a lost battle.

Piper waited until Polly had left the room before beginning to hum again and attending to her daughter.

The baby kicked her hard in the ribs but she didn't wither from her position over Issy. She felt the tears in her eyes but she kept her composure.

"Not now baby girl..." she whispered as she looked down at her stomach. She had never felt like such a failure as a mother before as she was ignoring one child and attending the other. She didn't know how she would handle be a parenting to two kids. One already took enough of her attention, she didn't know if she would be able to do two. It was kinda already too late to be thinking about this now but Issy wasn't getting any better and she didn't know how they would handle it when the baby did show up.

She tried to push all those thoughts of the future out of her head though as she started up her humming again.

The blonde was too lost in her own world to hear the door open again.

"Since when do you sing?!" asked Alex with a slight smirk towards her wife.

Piper looked up and locked eyes with Alex at this.

The couple shared a long look before Piper down casted her eyes back onto her sleeping daughter. The room was silent except for the heavy breathing of Issy and the hum of the machines monitoring her heart.

Alex ran a hand through her hair before taking a step towards the bed. She had come here on Polly's orders. She didn't want to haggle her wife but she did need to sleep, even if it was only for an hour or two. The blonde hadn't left the hospital in a few days. She wouldn't leave Issy's bedside.

"Pipes," Alex stood on the opposite side of Piper as she reached out for her hand. "Come home with me..."

xxx

Two more days passed and Issy's battle was getting harder to fight.

The topic of surgery had been brought to the table again by the doctors. They wanted to do it sooner, rather then later this time. Even though the tumour was large, the cancer was more aggressive this time. The chemo wasn't working properly, not like they wanted it too.

Issy's immune system was already pretty weak as it was from the chemo and radiation. If they wanted to giver her a better chance of living, they needed to take a better approach and that was where the surgery came in. They cancer still hadn't spread, which was a good thing but it needed to be taken out.

It was killing her.

Alex was with Piper this time around as the doctor explained the next course of attack they were going to take with the little girl. Again, Piper didn't want to have to face the fact that her little girl was going to need another surgery in the course of a month. That her baby's soft white flesh was once again going to have to be cut open.

"Isn't there any other option?" Piper heard what the doctor had said that the surgery was the best option at the moment for her daughter but there had to be another way, she thought...Something surely.

"Well, we can continue to give her chemo and try radiation again to see if that will further shrink the tumour...but surgery is really the best option for Issy," explained the doctor gentle to Piper.

Piper felt a wave of emotion come over her, she squeezed Alex's hand hard as she leaned into her for support. She was suddenly feeling weak in the knees as she continued to gawk at the doctor. They were standing outside Issy's room, in the hallway. The little girl was being looked after by Nicky and Lorna at the moment.

"When can we do the surgery?" asked Larry. He was all on board for the surgery. Whatever would help his daughter, he wanted to do it. Even if it was risky as this surgery would be for her, he just wanted her healthy again.

"Wait..."stated Alex as her eyes glared from the doctor over to Larry and back. "Piper didn't agree to the surgery." She didn't want Piper to get walked over on this important decision that had to be made.

"It's Issy's best option!" argued back Larry. He was a little raddled that Alex was overstepping him on this. He was Issy's father, not her. She shouldn't have her opinion in this, he thought. This should only be between him, Piper and the doctor.

"But, there is other ways...less risky ones..." responded Alex with the same fire that Larry was giving her.

Alex and Larry's voices went in and out of Piper's ears as they continued to bicker over each other. Piper couldn't stand it when the two of them fought like this. She closed her eyes and let out a deep breath as their voice became a faint buzzing sound like a fly in the back of her mind. She knew that this would go on for a while. Both of her exs were stubborn and hot headed. Especially when it came to Issy. She knew that Larry felt threatened by Alex but he really didn't have to worry. Issy loved her father. She was a daddy's girl just like Piper was.

Piper suddenly took a step away from the crowd as their voices resurfaced in her head like someone turning up the volume of a TV too loudly. She cursed as a sudden wave of anger came over her.

"Shut up!"

"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Her voice rang off the walls, causing everyone in the hallway to look over at her. She knew she must look like a crazy pregnant woman yelling in the cancer ward but she didn't care.

Her blue eyes blazed as she looked between Larry and Alex.

"Pipes," whispered Alex with concern.

"Just shut up!" stated Piper as her heart continued to race. She just needed everyone to be fucking quiet for a moment while she thought. "Please!"

She closed her eyes as she felt herself begin to crumble. She threw her hands up into the air before placing them on her stomach. She rubbed the sides vigorously as she tried to calm her breathing.

"What's wrong?" asked Alex in a panic noticing how Piper was touching her stomach. "What is it?"

"I'm fine!" cried Piper at noticing her wife's look of worry. "I just need everyone to be quiet!"

"Ok!" stated Alex as her eyes continued to pierce into Piper.

"Ok!" seconded Larry.

"I'll give you a few minutes to talk it over and discuss," spoke the doctor before quietly slipping away from the three of them. He was clearly uncomfortable about Piper's outburst.

Piper let out a deep breath as tears burned her eyes and she looked away from Alex and Larry's gazes and down the hallway. She leaned herself against the wall as she continued to rub circles along her stomach.

The baby kicked slightly against her hands, responding to her movements.

xxx

The idea of surgery got postponed for a couple of days but Larry kept on bringing it up. He was tired of sitting on his ass while Issy continued to get worse. There was only so many times they could change the dosage of medication for her.

The chemo wasn't working. They needed to start looking at new ways to treat the cancer. Surgery was one of them. He trusted that the doctors would be able to remove the tumour and leave enough of the kidney left over for Issy to live a healthy life. He just wanted his little girl to have a future, to have a fucking childhood.

"We can't keep on avoiding it Piper," whispered Larry harshly. They were in Issy's room and she was sleeping. "She fucking needs that surgery!"

"I know that Larry," whispered Piper as she glanced over at her daughter before back at her ex-husband. Piper was seated on a chair in the corner of the room, while Larry paced back and forth in front of their daughter's bed. "But let's at least give it some time to shrink the tumour."

She didn't want to argue with him...again over this. She hated how he was bringing it up now while Issy was in the room.

"That's time we don't fucking have...that Issy doesn't have!"

"Don't swear at me!" whispered Piper in anger.

The room was silent for a moment as the two parents looked on at the sleeping little girl. Issy was lying on her back, clenching Marcie to her side. She also had Suzy, her doll with her.

"She needs that surgery," spoke Larry, once again trying to convince his ex-wife that this was their daughter's best chance of beating this thing.

Piper was silent as she focused her attention onto the rise and fall of Issy's chest. She was tired of hearing that word. She never wanted to hear it again, she thought bitterly. A part of her just wanted to cave and allow for Larry to have his way, but she knew she needed to stand her ground. This wasn't like allowing him to have his way with what brand of chips to buy grocery shopping.

This was a life and death decision.

"But there are other ways..." her voice was small and childlike. "Safer ways..."

Larry stared at Piper like she had just grown three heads or something. "But surgery is the better way in the long run...Can't you fucking see that? Sure it has it risks but it's a lot better then continuing to pump our daughter's body with poison!"

"Even the doctor thinks that surgery is worth the risk!"

Piper rubbed her face and looked over to the door, where Alex had just made an appearance. She could tell by the look on her wife's face that she wasn't too pleased with how Larry was pacing in the room.

"Hey," whispered Piper as Alex took a step further into the room.

"Hey," whispered Alex as she gave Piper a small smile as she came towards her. "Is she still sleeping?"

"Yeah." Piper hated how much Issy was sleeping nowadays. The medicine or as Larry put it poison they were constantly pumping through her daughter's veins at the moment made her extremely drossy.

Alex just nodded her head in understanding at this as she adjusted her glasses and looked on at the bed. She could tell by the tension in the room that Larry and Piper had been arguing again about the surgery. She was trying to stay out of it though. It wasn't her decision to make. It ultimately had to be Piper's in the end. Alex agreed with Larry on the matter of surgery though but kept quiet. She didn't want to overstep Piper. She knew that Piper felt like she had no control over anything that was going on with her daughter at the moment, but she did have some control over this. Piper had to be the one to decide what was good for her daughter.

It was Alex's job just to be there for her wife and support her through this.

Alex placed a comforting hand on Piper's shoulder as she looked over at Larry through the corner of her eye.

Before anyone could say another word about what to do about Issy, the little girl stirred in her sleep.

"Mommy?..."

Piper immediatly rose from her seat and went to her daughter's aid.

"I'm right here, baby!"

The topic of surgery was put on hold once again.

xxx

Piper leaned forward and kissed Issy on the forehead before she was wheeled off for surgery.

It was a few days later and Piper had finally given in to the pressure she felt from everyone that Issy should have another surgery. The doctor had reassured her that it would just be like the last one, however this time they were only going to try to remove the tumour and not the whole kidney.

She was scared as hell but she knew that deep down this was Issy's only option now.

Piper felt Alex behind her but she didn't acknowledge her. She stayed glued to the spot, watching at Issy was wheeled off in the bed towards the elevators at the end of the hallway. It was there she would be transported up to the tenth floor where the OR was.

She once again felt like a fucking failure. Not only because she had given up and allowed for the surgery to happen.

But just in general.

xxx

Everything happened so quickly in such a short amount of time.

The room had gone from being very quiet and still to full of life and activity in the matter of seconds.

Issy hadn't been out of surgery for even 24 hours yet when her heart gave out.

The surgery had gone well. They had been successful in removing most of the tumour and keeping a quarter of the kidney, in hopes it would be able to function effectively enough to keep Issy well.

However, it wasn't enough.

Issy had gone into kidney failure and quickly. Her already weakened body, couldn't take the strain any longer.

It was shutting down.

The room had filled with a loud beeping sound as Issy's flat lined suddenly. It was a good thing that the nurse had been in the room, checking up on another patient in the ICU when it happened. She had quickly called Code Blue. Causing another noise to sound through out the room.

Time seemed to stand still for a moment, as everyone stood by watching as a team of nurses and doctors came flooding into the room with a crash cart.

Piper had watched in cold fear as her daughter's hospital gown was ripped open, exposing her chest before being shocked to life.

It had taken the team of nurses three times to revive Issy's with the paddles before the loud piercing beeping sound stopped.

Everyone held their breaths for a second, watching the monitor before a heart beat was picked up.

xxx

"Issy just had a very close call there," spoke the doctor as if they hadn't witnessed first hand Issy's heart stop beating. "Her kidney is failing her. We need to take her back into the OR and put a line in her to receive dialysis."

"Dialysis!?" Piper only associated dialysis with old people.

"Yes. She will need to receive it at least three times a week or so. Until we can find a suitable donor for her."

"Wait! WAIT!...are you saying?" Piper knew that they had talked about donors and transplants before but she needed to hear it again, now as it became a reality. That her little girl needed a new kidney.

"Yes, Issy needs a kidney transplant."

* * *

Thanks for reading.

Julie


	16. Chapter 15

Do not own Orange Is the New Black or any of the characters.

* * *

**Overcast**

_**Chapter 15**_

_Birthday Tears_

_March 2024_

Piper closed her eyes briefly and tried to relax as the doctor pulled up the edge of her shirt, reveling her massive swollen beach ball of a stomach. She was 30 weeks today, making her seven months pregnant.

There was only about 10 weeks left before the baby was suppose to be born at the end of May. A part of her wanted this pregnancy to be over for good but another part of wasn't ready. She knew this baby would need all her attention once it was here. But with everything with Issy now, she was scared that the baby would get lost in the shuffle of things. It would be just so much easier if the baby could stay in her stomach just until her big sister got better.

Piper flinched slightly as the cold gel was squirted across her skin before she felt the familiar touch of the ultrasound prod applied. A few moments later the room filled with the wow-wow-wow sound of the baby's heart. For a moment all her worries seemed to go away as she listened to the sound of the baby's heart beat and focused her eyes on the screen, where a black and white image of the baby's face appeared. She would never get tired of this, she thought as she gazed out onto the image of her little girl.

Tears immediatly filled her eyes like they always did when a ultrasound was done. She glanced up at Alex, who was holding her hand beside her, she wore the same expression as she did.

And for a moment, everything seemed normal. That they were just here for another one of Piper's check-ups with the obstetrician. That just a floor above them there wasn't Issy in a hospital bed, with tubs coming out of her nose and chest.

"The baby looks good," explained the doctor as she continued to move the prod around Piper's stomach. "She's has a strong heart beat and is a good size but..."

"But what?" whispered Piper in a panic. Her heart began to race as she feared the worse. Her eyes searched frantically at the doctor's face, preparing to hear that the baby was sick or something.

Alex reached out and took Piper's hand, as she too looked towards the doctor.

"But, it's you that I am worried about."

"Me!?" Piper's dark eyebrows shot up high on her forehead at this.

"Yes, you," stated the doctor as she lifted the prod off of her stomach and turned off the ultrasound machine and turned in the office chair to face Piper. "I know you must be under a lot of stress at the moment with your current...family situation but you have to think about this baby as well."

Piper didn't say anything as she just continued to glare at the other woman, Bitch, she couldn't help but thinking in her head.

"Your blood pressure levels are a little high for my liking," continued to explain the doctor as she moved away from the bed and reached for Piper's file on the desk. Before the doctor had come to do the ultrasound, the nurse had checked Piper blood pressure and other general health. "And you seem slightly dehydrated."

"I'm feel fine," stated Piper as she pulled down her shirt and tried to sit up on the bed. She wasn't in the mood for a lecture at the moment on her health. She suddenly wanted to leave the room and go back to Issy who was with her mother and father at the moment. They had come down not only to visit Issy but to celebrate her birthday which was today.

However, she was in no mood to celebrate at the moment.

The doctor looked up at Piper and smiled with sympathy at her. "I know you are going through a lot and as mothers we attend to put our selves last but...it also means to care for yourself too so that we can look after our children, too. And right now, you need to look after yourself so that little baby you are carrying continues to develop strong and goes to full term."

How dare she tell her what it is like to be a mother! What it took! She knew what it took to be a mother. And she was doing just that. Maybe she slipped every now and then with eating properly and forgot to take her prenatal vitamins once or twice but she was doing her best. Let's see this doctor, Mrs. Perfect Mom apparently have a very sick child on her hands like she did and lets see how well she took care of herself then...

"I'm putting you on mandatory bed rest for the next couple of weeks," explained the doctor firmly as she scribbled something down in Piper's file. "And subscribing a mild dosage of medication to treat it."

"Excuse me!" cried out Piper bitterly, "I can't go on fucking bed rest!" She was furious at hearing this. There was no way she could lie in a bed all day with having Issy in the hospital.

Her daughter needed her.

"My daughter _needs_ me!"

"_This_ baby needs you," responded the doctor firmly, "You will still be able to get up and putter around the house but you need to get that blood pressure down. You need to take it easy and be off your feet for a bit. If you don't you are not only going to harm that baby but yourself. High blood pressure is a serious issue. Especially a woman in her 40s, I don't think you understand that this could very much lead to a more serious issue, Preeclampsia**.**

Piper just huffed and looked away from the other woman. This was the fucking last thing she needed to do, she thought. It wasn't like she was being stubborn about the risks of preeclampsia could have on the baby. She just couldn't handle having another one of her child being in risk of dying.

* * *

_September 2023_

"What's wrong?" asked Alex as she looked up from the newspaper she was reading and over to Piper, who had just come into the kitchen. She could tell that something was up by the look on her girlfriend's face at the moment.

Piper just shook her head and gestured to Issy, who was seated beside Alex at the kitchen table.

Alex frowned slightly at this but understood. Whatever it was, Piper didn't want Issy to overhear it. She adjusted her glasses on the bridge of her nose as she continued to study Piper, who had her back to her now. The blonde was bent over, looking for something in the fridge.

"Mommy, Alex made pancakes!" stated Issy as she held up her plate to show Piper the half eaten stack of pancakes that rested on it.

Piper straightened her back and turned to look at her daughter. She smiled warmly at the six-year old. "Well, I hope you didn't eat them all, Missy!" she teased before shutting the fridge door and coming towards the table.

"I didn't!" stated Issy.

"Don't worry! I made plenty," spoke Alex as she gestured to the untouched stack of pancakes resting in the middle of the table. "I know how you Chapman women like your pancakes!"

Piper pushed Alex playfully in the arm at this comment. She was trying not to smirk but she couldn't help herself. She would never get tired of this, she thought. Alex had come back into her life suddenly and at first she thought it was for the worse, especially after how things had ended between them. But, Alex fit into her life perfectly now. Especially with Issy. Alex was great with her daughter. She loved to see their interactions together.

"I do like my pancakes!" huffed Piper as she began to help herself to the stack. "What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing," replied Alex as she leaned forwarded and pressed her lips softly to the nape of Piper's neck, "Nothing at all."

Piper turned her attention onto Alex at this. The two women shared a long look with each other before Alex leaned in again. This time she kissed Piper on the lips. Their lips smacked loudly together.

"Ewwww," cooed Issy as she squished up her face in disgust at the couple public display of affection.

Alex let out a raspy chuckle as she pulled away from Piper and looked on at the little girl.

"I thought you were rooting for me, kid," she spoke towards Issy. The little girl had been thrilled when her and Piper had started to date and eventually had moved in. She didn't see why she was suddenly being, _ewww-ed_

"I am," stated Issy cheerfully at Alex. "I was only teasing. I don't mind when you guys kiss. I don't like when Daddy kisses Momma Naomi, though...they use tongues and such..._gross_!"

Piper just rolled her eyes and shook her head slightly at what her daughter had just said. She then caught Alex's eye and smiled at her. "Six year olds," she whispered so that only Alex could hear her, "They are so dramatic!"

"Yeah, I wonder where she gets her dramatics from," teased Alex with amusement.

"Oh, surely not from her mother," replied back Piper with a wink towards Alex.

"Of course not," replied Alex as she watched as Piper began to tare into her pancakes. Her eyes shifted over to Issy for a second, where the little girl was doing the same as her mother. It was scary how alike they were, thought Alex to herself. There was not one day that seemed to go bye that she didn't think this. Issy was Piper trapped in a little person's body.

* * *

_March 2024_

It was much later on in the day as Piper and Alex returned home from the hospital. After the doctor's appointment in the morning, they had hung around Issy's room with Piper's parents.

They had never been fully supported of their daughter's new lifestyle choice but that didn't matter much now with Issy being sick and all. Carol Chapman had actually surprised Alex by giving her a hug when seeing her earlier. How things had changed, she thought.

Issy had fallen asleep around seven and that's when they had decided to call it a night too. The Chapmans had offered to take them for dinner but Piper had declined. She couldn't handle spending an evening with her parents. She just wanted to go home.

Plus, Piper had been on her feet enough already that day, Alex had thought. Her wife might not want to go on bed rest, but Alex was going to make sure that she did. She had heard what the doctor had said about Piper's blood pressure and the facts it could have an impact on their unborn daughter.

"You should go upstairs and lie down for a bit," spoke Alex as she followed Piper into the living room.

Piper who was in the middle of reaching down and retrieving something from the coffee table looked up and glared at Alex. She could feel the anger stir slightly within her chest at hearing what Alex was suggesting she do. She hated how Alex was siding with the doctor on this. They had rarely talked about it when at the hospital. Neither had wanted to fight in front of her parents or Issy for that matter.

"I'm not tired," stated Piper coldly before turning her back to her wife and continued to clean up the mess of books and dishes that had piled up over the past couple of weeks on the table. They hadn't done much house work since learning that Issy's cancer had spread to her other kidney. They barely spent anytime at home anymore. They were usually at the hospital most of the day and sometimes when allowed, Piper would spend the night with her little girl.

Alex frowned slightly at hearing this. She didn't want to force Piper to lie down but she had heard what the doctor had said, she needed to take it easy for the sake of the baby. She was silent for a moment as she stood in the archway of the living room, watching as Piper continued to gather things in her hands.

"Just sit then," stated Alex as she took a step further into the room. "I can do that," she whispered as she tried to take the dishes from Piper's hands. They were mostly empty cereal bowls from previous mornings wolfing down Cheerios before heading to the hospital or in Alex's case, work. But she had taken a leave of absence from the floral shop for a bit, until things with Issy got better.

"I don't want to fucking sit!" snapped Piper as she pulled hard on the bowl, trying to take it back from Alex. The bowl slipped from both of their grasps at this and went soaring across the room like a Frisbee before hitting the wall and shattering.

Both women just stared at the broken bowl lying a few feet away before looking back at each other.

"See what you did," huffed Piper at the brunette before storming passed her and into the kitchen.

Alex let out a sigh as she ran her hand through her hair before cleaning up the rest of the dishes from the coffee table and heading into the kitchen.

Neither Piper or Alex spoke a word to each other as they loaded up the dishwasher. Both were too wrapped in her their own thoughts and feelings to address each other.

"Here...let me do that," stated Alex gently as she watched as Piper bend down to get the dust pan and brush, which they kept underneath the sink.

"I can fucking do it," snapped Piper once again at Alex. She hated how she was treating her with kid-gloves again.

"I know you _can_," stated Alex slowly. She didn't want to fight with Piper. This built up anger wasn't good for her, she thoughts as she once again remembered what the doctor had said earlier. " but let me..._please_ do it."

She tried to take the dustpan and brush from Piper's hands, her green eyes begging her to not fight her on this small act.

Piper just glared coldly at her wife before letting out a frustrated sigh, "Fine. Whatever..."

The blonde shoved the dustpan and brush into Alex's hands before storming away again.

"Can you please just sit?" asked Alex as she once again followed Piper into the living room, where she continued to clean. This time she was shoving books back onto the bookshelf and clearing up a pile of Issy's toys.

"I'm fine," replied Piper. She didn't bother looking at Alex as she continued with her task, "The doctor said that I could putter..." As long as she didn't stay on her feet for too long and didn't do much heavy lifting, she was fine, she thought. She just wanted to clean up that was all and then she would lie down or do whatever the hell that Alex wanted her to do.

"Pipes, you've been fucking puttering all day..."Alex was trying to keep her voice calm but was struggling. She hated how stubborn her wife could be at times. Yes, the doctor had said it was okay if she putter around here or there but for the most part, she was suppose to be off her feet, taking it easy. At the hospital, she had been too busy fussing over Issy to really sit and relax. But now that they were home, Alex wanted her wife to sit. "Just leave the toys and the mess and go upstairs and rest. You're going to over do yourself."

Piper immediatly turned to face her wife at this. Her chest heaved up and down as rage filled her lungs. She hated how everyone kept on telling her what do and what was best for her. First with the doctor, saying she needed to go on bed rest or else she would be practically killing her baby. And then with having to deal with her mother all day and now with Alex. She was suppose to be on her side, she thought bitterly as she continued to glare at Alex, who was still holding the dustpan in her hand.

"I'm not going to over do myself!"

"Yes, you fucking are!"

"No I'm not!" responded Piper in annoyance. She knew herself and what she was capable of. And she was feeling perfectly fine at the moment. Cleaning up the house wasn't over doing, she thought.

They were having the same fight all over again, it seemed.

"Piper, just fucking sit! That's all I ask," Alex could feel her patience slowly weathering away by the second. She hated how pale and tired Piper was looking at the moment. And she knew that her getting wired up at the moment wasn't helping matters. Piper was over doing it, she thought. Earlier in her pregnancy, Piper had joked with Alex that she would have to weight on her hand and foot now that she was carrying her child. She was suppose to be pleased that Alex was willingly offering to do the house work for her but she wasn't. Piper was acting like she was taking her freedom away from her or something by making her sit.

"I'm fine," stated Piper stubbornly again towards Alex.

"Did you fucking hear the doctor at all?!"

"Your blood pressure is high! You're putting not only putting our baby at risk but yourself as well!" Alex was trying to keep her anger at bay and trying not to yell but Piper was making it fucking hard not too. "Do you not fucking see that, Piper?"

"SCREW YOU!" screamed Piper at the top of her lungs as she suddenly dropped the plushie she held in her hand to the floor and stormed out of the room, passed Alex and into the foyer of the house. She didn't have to stay here and take this, she thought bitterly to herself as she began to shove her shoes back onto her feet. She didn't know where she was headed but she just needed to get away from Alex for a bit.

"Where the fuck are you going?" asked Alex in disbelief as she appeared in the hallway, watching as Piper put on her coat.

"I'm leaving," Piper stated as she opened the front door and glared at her wife before slamming it closed behind her.

"OH JUST FUCKING LEAVE!" cried out Alex in rage towards the blonde through the door.

She knew there was no point in yelling at the door, Piper couldn't hear her but she couldn't help it. She was pissed as hell. She then in a fit of rage, threw the dustpan and the brush she still held in her hands at the glass of the front door. Tears welded up in her eyes, but she blinked them roughly away.

She should go after her wife, but she knew that Piper needed to be alone at the moment. This wasn't the first time that Piper had stormed out of the house in a rage. She usually just walked around the block to cool down before coming back home. She would just be gone no more than a half an hour, thought Alex.

She would give Piper some time to cool down before going after her, she thought as she returned back to the living room.

xxx

"Fuck you! Fuck you! Fuck you!" swore Piper underneath her breathe as she shoved her hands into the pockets of her jacket and walked down the street. She had been walking a good ten minutes or so now. She didn't know where she was headed but she just needed to get away from Alex for a bit. She couldn't stand her constant hovering and judging of her.

She had heard what the doctor had said but she couldn't just sit and relax like everyone wanted her too. She needed to keep herself busy, she thought. Or else she would go crazy.

Piper just wanted to be alone that was all.

Tears brimmed her eyes but she didn't let them fall as she walked against the cold night breeze. It was the middle of March and spring was just two days away but winter still hung in the air. The sky was overcast that night as she continued to walk away from the house.

She knew that Alex wouldn't come running after her, she never did when she stormed out in the heat of an argument.

She felt a slight ache in the back of her legs and back but she ignored it as she continued to walk. Her pace was slow but she wasn't trying to get anywhere quickly. Her mind was racing with thoughts as she continued to press on. She hated how strained her marriage with Alex was. It had been really good at the beginning she thought, when they were just a few months pregnant and hadn't told anyone yet. Those had been good days, she thought sadly.

The pregnancy had been their little secrete for a bit and it had been fun keeping it between themselves.

A fresh set of tears brimmed her eyes and slowly leaked from her eyes before she could stop them. She was overcome with sadness of what her life had become. She had thought the worse part had been at Litchfield, but now she was finding this was the worst part of her life. Watching her child dying made Litchfield feel like a party. If going back there could make her daughter healthy again she would go back in a heart beat.

Piper stopped walking for a second as a dizzy spell suddenly came over her. Spots appeared in front of her eyes as she tried to get a hold of her bearings. Maybe she should head back, she thought. She was suddenly feeling very tired. Maybe she should had listened to Alex and lied down when she had gotten home...

Bed sounded like a very welcoming option at the moment but before she could gain the energy to turn around and head back home to bed and her wife, something else happened.

Her vision blurred again and before she could figure out what was going on and prevent herself from falling the whole world went black.

_September 2023_

"So are you going to tell me what's wrong or what?"

Piper turned to look on at Alex in confusion. She had just finished loading the dishwasher and was drying her hands on a towel as she continued to peer at Alex. It was a little later on now in the morning as the couple stood in the kitchen. Issy was off at school.

"Earlier," stated Alex as she gestured over to the breakfast table, "You came looking upset about something. What's up?" Her voice was low and filled with concern as she reached out and touched Piper on the wrist.

Piper's face broke out into a wide grin at this, "I'm late!"

Alex's eyes narrowed slightly before widening in realization on what Piper meant. Her eyebrows flew up her forehead as she continued to stare at the blonde, "You're late!"

"I'm late," repeated Piper.

"Have you taken a test?" asked Alex as she adjusted her glasses on the bridge of her nose.

Piper shook her head slowly, "I thought we could do that together..." Her voice was soft as she looked shyly up at Alex.

A small smile crept across the brunette's face at this. "I would like that," she whispered as she wrapped her arms around Piper and stared deeply into her eyes.

* * *

_March 2024_

Alex stared at the ruby red of the wine in the glass seated in front of her. It had been two hours since the fight and she still didn't know where her seven month pregnant wife was. She was freaking out to say the least. She had no way to reach her, Piper had left in such a frenzy that she had left her cell behind.

She had already called Nicky and Polly asking if they had seen her but they hadn't. She had tried the hospital, thinking maybe she had gone to visit Issy even know it was after visiting hours, but the nurse on duty informed her that no one had come to see the little girl since they had last been there.

She had even called Larry out of desperation, but he didn't have any idea where she was either.

"Fuck Piper!" she swore angry at the top of her lungs. She had thought about calling Piper's parents, thinking that maybe she had gone to the hotel they were staying at but figured she better wait it out a little longer before she called. She didn't want to worry them...not yet that was.

It had only been two hours since Piper had stormed out of the house. But two hours to many for Alex's liking. Not only was Piper pregnant, but she was suppose to be taking it easy. What the doctor had said about how Piper's high blood pressure could lead to a much more serious issue scared her and badly. She remembered reading about Preeclampsia in one of those pregnancy books that Piper had made her read earlier on in the pregnancy. She didn't remember all the details about it but recalled how it causes reduced blood flow within the body which can affect both mother and child.

She had poured herself a glass of wine to reduce her nerves but the alcohol was just making her more on edge. She was trying not to think of the worse possible situation, but after what had happened with Issy, her mind just went there now.

She should had went after her, she thought. Why hadn't she fucking chased after her? She had thought that Piper wouldn't be gone that long, she guessed. Piper didn't walk that quickly nowadays and just thought she would take a quick walk around the block and come back home.

But now she was worried.

As she drained her second glass of wine and stared at her cell phone, trying to think again where Piper could had gone, the house phone rang suddenly.

Alex jumped in her seat suddenly as the high thrills of the phone filled the kitchen. She immediatly got to her feet and went to where the cordless phone rested on the counter near the fridge.

The phone rang again before Alex answered it. She didn't bother to look at the number as she pressed the receiver to her ear.

"Hello?" she spoke in a urgent whisper. Her heart was beating rapidly as she prayed that it was Piper or someone who knew were Piper was.

"Hello, there. Is this Mrs. Alex Vause?"

Alex brows immediatly fussed together at hearing her own name, "Yes, speaking."

"Hi, I am calling from _ . Your wife, Piper was just admitted into the ER just over an hour ago..."

Alex didn't listen to the rest of what the person had to say as she dropped the phone onto the counter and immediatly headed out the house. She didn't normally drink and drive, but it had only been two small glasses of wine and the drive to the hospital wasn't too far away.

* * *

_September 2023_

Piper's heart was racing as she gently closed the bathroom behind her and began to undo the fly of her pants.

She was nervous.

She had been nervous the last time she had taken a test.

But this was a different type of nervous. It was a happy, excited kind of nervousness she was feeling. She wanted this, unlike last time, when she had been praying that it wouldn't be positive.

It was quite the opposite this time. She wanted it to be positive. She wanted to see that little plus sign staring back at her from the little screen. And she knew, that Alex wanted it too.

It was funny, she thought as she pulled down her pants and took a seat on the toilet. She let out a shaky breath as she reached for the opened test, which lay on the edge of the sink. She could hear Alex pacing outside the bathroom door, the blonde smiled to herself at this.

She found it cute that Alex was just as nervous about the results as she was. Last time, she had been so scared of what Alex would think and how she would react if she found out she was pregnant.

But now, it was all a different story.

This baby was a creation of theirs, together. It wouldn't tare them apart but bring them closer together.

She let out a deep sign as she tried to relax her body and get herself to pee. She counted to five before positioning the stick underneath herself. She held it there until she was done.

There was nothing glamorous, she thought about this process as she put the stick back onto the sink and wiped herself clean.

"Are you done?" asked Alex through the bathroom door.

Piper let out a chuckle at this, "Yes, I'm done!"

Alex was silent for a moment before she began to pace again along the wooden floors. Piper rolled her eyes slightly as she flushed the toilet and pulled her pants back up. She had never seen Alex so anxious like this before. She would have never guessed that Alex Vause would ever be anxious about a pregnancy test.

Piper looked down at the test for a moment before she began to wash her hands. It would take about three minutes or so until any results showed.

"So?" asked Alex as she stopped pacing over at Piper as she came out of the bathroom.

Piper's face was blank of emotion as she shoved the test into Alex's face, "Look for yourself."

Alex nervously took the test into her hands and appeared down at the screen. "It's positive!" she stated as a sense of relief washed through her. "It's positive!" She stated again as she looked up at Piper and smiled.

"It's positive!" echoed Piper as tears suddenly filled her eyes.

She was pregnant.

And not only that, she was pregnant with Alex's baby.

Don't get her wrong, she loved Issy and would have her all over again. But there was just something bittersweet knowing that this pregnancy was starting off on a happy note. That it had been planned and was wanted from the start.

"You're pregnant," whispered Alex, as reality set in. She was suddenly overcome with emotion as she came towards Piper. Her hands immediatly went to the flatness of Piper's stomach and stayed there.

"We're pregnant," corrected Piper as she brought her mouth up to Alex's and kissed her.

* * *

_March 2024_

Alex's heart was going a mile a minute as she stormed into the ER and headed immediatly over to the nurse's desk. She hadn't felt so nervous and panicked like this since hearing Issy's heart flat lined a few weeks ago now. She didn't know what had happened to her wife but she was thinking the worse. She was on the verge of losing it as her emotions were running very high at the moment.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for my wife!" she stated to the nurse behind the desk.

The nurse barely looked up at Alex as she continued to tap away on her computer.

"One minuet please," replied the nurse, who was half of Alex's age.

Alex didn't have time for this, she thought. Somewhere in this hospital was her pregnant wife and she wasn't going to let this young thing stop her.

"I don't think you understand. I'm looking for my wife. Her name is Piper Chapman. She was admitted here over an hour ago...someone phoned me!" Her voice was firm yet calm. She didn't want to make a scene or anything like that. She just wanted to know where her wife was. She had her hands on the edge of the desk, leaning slightly over the surface of it. Her eyes were cold as she locked them on the nurse, she meant business.

The young nurse glared at Alex before typing away at her computer again. A moment later she was telling her the number of Piper's room.

"Thank you," replied Alex before walking briskly away from the desk and headed over to the elevators. Piper was on the sixth floor of the hospital, in the maternity ward.

Alex bounced nervously on her feet as she pressed the elevator button receptively. She was impatient and anxious. She still didn't know what condition Piper was in. Hearing she was out of the ER already and on the maternity ward, made her think she must be in some sort of serious condition. Usually you had to wait hours or so in the ER before you were seen by a doctor.

She didn't know if it was different for pregnant women.

"Fuck! Come on!" she cried out in frustration as a moment had passed and the elevator still hadn't shown up. She rapidly pressed the elevator button again impatiently.

Just then the elevator arrived and pinged open in front of her.

"Thank you," she stated to no one as she quickly got in and pressed the button to the six floor. A second passed before the door closed and began to make it's way up to the floor.

Alex could feel the nervous fluttering in her stomach as the elevator got closer and closer to the sixth floor. Her mind was circling with thoughts on what could had happened to Piper. She knew she hadn't been in a car accident because they only had the one car. But that didn't mean she hadn't been hit by a car...

"Fuck!" she swore underneath her breath. She hadn't felt this lost and unsure in a while. She had never been one to wear her emotions on her sleeve but since everything had happened over the last few months, her emotions came more and more present.

Alex walked quickly out of the elevator and down the hallway. She knew that visiting hours were long over and the hallway was quiet then it had been earlier that day when she had been here. She was surprised that no one stopped her as she walked passed the nurse's station and looked at the passing room numbers, searching for her wife's.

It took her a few moments before she found the one that the nurse had told her. She swallowed over the sudden lump that had risen in her throat and took a deep breath outside the door. She was afraid what she would come across inside. She didn't know if she could handle seeing Piper hooked up to any machines or anything like Issy was. Her heart could only handle one Chapman women in the hospital at a time.

It was now or never, she thought as she wrapped her fingers around the knob of the door and pushed it open.

Piper was in one of those joint rooms, however the other bed in the room lay empty at the moment. Piper was in the bed at the far end of the room. She looked over at Alex immediatly as she entered the room.

"Alex..." Piper's voice was soft and very childlike sounding. Tears immediatly filled her eyes at seeing Alex. She knew that Alex was probably pissed as hell at her and she didn't blame her. Her wife's face was unreadable as she came towards her bedside.

Alex didn't say anything as she looked down at Piper, studying her face. She was still trying to process what was going on. Piper was alive for the most part and she looked to still be pregnant as she stared at her stomach.

"I'm sorry..."murmured Piper as a fresh sent of tears began to fall down her cheeks.

Alex couldn't help but feel panicked at hearing her wife apologize...a cold chill ran down her back. What was she apologizing for? Did she lose the baby? Tears once again filled her eyes at this thought. But before she could ask the unthinkable, someone came into the room.

It was the nurse.

She smiled as she noticed Alex was standing by Piper's bedside. "And this must be your wife," she stated as she looked over at Piper to confirm this.

Piper nodded her head in reply as the nurse came to check up on her. She replaced the saline drip she was attached to with a new one before checking the baby's heart rates on the monitor beside the bed.

"Everything is looking good," stated the nurse with a smile towards both Alex and Piper. The nurse stayed for a few moments longer checking Piper's vitals and such before quietly leaving the couple to be.

Alex didn't say anything as she took Piper's hand and sat down on the seat beside the bed. "What happened?"

Now that she knew that her wife was safe and okay, she could finally relax. She felt all her anger and previous emotions lift from her shoulders as she slumped back against the seat. The nurse had said that she was okay and that the baby was doing well. But she hadn't heard what had happened to Piper yet and she really wanted to know.

Tears once again welled up in the blonde's eyes. She felt so guilty for what had happened to her. Alex had been right, she should had taken better care of herself.

Alex was patient as she brought Piper's hand up to her lips and kissed her knuckles. Her green eyes never left her wife's face. She wanted to make sure Piper knew she wasn't mad at her.

"What happened?" she asked again in a soft voice. There was no judgement or nothing as she waited for Piper to explain.

It took Piper a few more moments before she slowly began to tell Alex everything. On how she had passed out just a couple blocks away from their house. How someone who had been putting out their garbage had seen her collapse and called an ambulance. She didn't remember that though really, they had just told her that on the ride over here. They had thought at first that she was suffering from preeclampsia, when they saw her high blood pressure but after checking out the baby, they had determined that she was dehydrated and overtired.

"I'm sorry," murmured Piper again as she finished telling Alex everything. "I should have listened too you..."

"Ssshhhh..."Alex once again kissed Piper's hand before leaning forward and kissing the side of her wife's cheek.

She knew that Piper was feeling guilty and ashamed at the moment but she didn't have to apologize. She didn't want to hear it, she thought as she folded her very upset wife into her arms and held her close.

"Sssshhhh..."

* * *

Thanks for reading!

Julie


	17. Chapter 16

Do not own Orange Is the New Black or any of the characters.

Enjoy!

* * *

**Overcast**

_**Chapter 16**_

_Life Goes On_

_October 2023_

"Let's get married," whispered Alex into Piper's ear.

It was the middle of the night and they had just finished a passionate session of adult wrestling.

Piper turned onto her side and looked on at Alex through the darken bedroom. She was a little surprised by this.

"Let's get married," stated Alex again. Her green eyes pierced deeply into Piper's. She was serious. They had talked about getting married after the baby was born, but Alex didn't feel like waiting.

Piper just looked perplexedly at Alex for a second longer before her face broke out into a grin. She was suddenly overcome with the giggles. She just found it extremely funny that Alex was the one suggesting that they get married. Piper was suppose to be the one pushing marriage, not Alex.

"What?" asked Alex in confusion, "Do you find marrying me funny or something?" The brunette was now propped up on her elbow staring at Piper as she continued to laugh.

"No...No..."explained Piper as she tried to compose herself. "It's not the actual marrying part that I find funny...it's just that...when did you start...nesting?"

Alex just stared at Piper for a moment longer before rolling her eyes, "Whatever."

The brunette rolled onto her other side, away from Piper. She knew that Piper was just teasing her but that's not exactly how she planned for her proposal to go. Yes, it had been a spur of the moment decision but she had at least been expecting Piper to say yes. They were having a fucking baby together.

"Yes!" whispered Piper softly after a moment of silence had passed between them. She hated that she had made Alex upset. That was the last thing she had wanted to do.

"Yes!" she whispered again as she placed a hand on the curve of Alex's hip, in hopes of getting Alex to look at her again.

Alex knew she couldn't stay mad at Piper for too long as she rolled onto her back and looked up at Piper, who's face was hovering mere inches over hers.

The blonde grinned at Alex before leaning forward and rubbing the edge of her nose against hers.

"Yes...I...Will...Marry...You..." she whispered slowly as she captured Alex's lips into a kiss.

The kiss was long and gentle at first as their lips opened and closed against one another. However, it soon deepened and began to come alive with passion as Alex suddenly pushed Piper down onto the mattress and she was on top. Their naked flesh pressed into one another as their tongues coiled together.

"And to answer your previous question," Alex broke away from the kiss suddenly and began to travel her mouth down the side of Piper's neck and shoulders. "I began to nest...when you started to carry this..." Her green eyes focused on Piper's face as her mouth traveled down the centre of her torso to her navel.

Piper grinned devilishly in response to Alex as she kissed the flatness of her stomach.

* * *

_April 2024_

A soft pattering of rain hit the windshield of the car as Alex drove home.

It was late now as she turned down the street and began to drive towards the house.

She was just coming back from the hospital. Issy, who had been on dialysis for a month now was doing better for someone who only had a quarter of a kidney to live with. The little girl was still undergoing chemo treatments but they had stopped with the radiation. She seemed like a much stronger girl then she had been a few weeks ago. The chemo was working and there had been no new traces of cancer cells found through out Issy's body, which was good. Even the doctor was amazed on how well she was recovering. She had gone from being such a sick little girl to a fairly healthy one in the matter of weeks.

She still wasn't allowed to come home though.

They thought it was best if she continued to live at the hospital where they could monitor her.

Issy had been happy to see Alex, but was sad that Piper hadn't come along with her. Piper was still on bed rest for another week or so. Piper made sure to go visit her daughter every few days or so. She hated how she had to be apart from her but she knew it was good for the baby and had stopped fighting everyone on it. Plus, Red had moved herself into their house to help out. Alex had insisted that she didn't need to do that but like everything else, Red didn't take no for an answer. The day Piper had come home from her brief stay at the hospital, Red had moved in.

Alex parked the car out on the street, before turning off the engine and stepping out into the rain. It always seemed to rain on this day, she thought as she looked up to the grey skies. It had been three years to the day since she'd been released from Litchfield.

It had rained when she had gotten out and what seemed like every year since.

She didn't bother to cover in her head as she walked towards the house. The rain was a light drizzle at the moment as she walked up the front steps and unlocked the front door.

Silence greeted her on the other end. This was normal nowadays. Since Issy had been in the hospital, the house was always somewhat quiet.

Alex hated it.

Closing the front door, she could make out the faint sounds of Red's opera music from the kitchen. It gave her some comfort to know that Red was here, looking out for Piper, looking out for all of them really.

"Hi," spoke Alex as she stepped into the kitchen a few moments later. The aromas of whatever Red was cooking filled her nostrils, sending a wave of comfort over her.

"Hi," replied Red as she glanced over her shoulder and peered over her glasses at Alex. "She's upstairs. Sleeping."

Alex nodded her head and adjusted her glasses in understanding. She was glad to hear that Piper was sleeping. She needed to rest, she thought. Piper had been stubborn at first about her bed rest but now as she grew heavier with child, she didn't fight so much. The blonde was finally realizing that it was all for her own good. Issy was in good hands with the staff at the hospital and family was always visiting.

"How's the kid doing?" asked Red watching as Alex opened the fridge and took out a bottle of water.

"She's good," spoke Alex as she closed the door of the fridge and turned to look at the older woman. "The nurse had a group of them making bunny hats for the Easter party next week. She was all smiles today. It was nice."

Issy had been really good today, she thought. She still had a long recovery ahead but so far she was doing well on the dialysis. But she would still need a donor in the future. Larry had volunteer to give his kidney to his daughter, but he wasn't a blood match for her. Issy was on the waiting list for a kidney, but the doctor said it could take years before Issy got one. Since she was doing well on the dialysis so far, Alex hadn't mentioned it to anyone yet but she wanted to try to see if she could be a donor. But she wasn't sure, with her past history of being a junkie and such.

However, from what she knew she was in pretty good health now, despite her past. She wanted to talk about it with Piper though first. But the more that she thought about it, she knew it was something she had...that she wanted to do. Issy might not be hers by blood, but she loved that little girl and couldn't stand to think about sitting by and at least not trying to volunteer herself as a donor.

They didn't usually do transplants while someone was still undergoing chemo treatment but the doctor didn't think it was too early to start looking for one. Because as soon as Issy was cancer free, he would give the go for her to have one.

"That's good to hear," replied Red with a slight smile on her face. "Have they found another donor yet?"

Alex shook her head in response as she twisted the cap off of the bottle and took a long drink from it.

"Well, I hope they do soon. I know Nicky was talking about volunteering but she's not sure with her past...and such," Red shrugged her shoulder sadly before turning her attention back onto the pot of boiling water on the stove.

Alex remained silent watching as the Russian stirred the water and sprinkled pepper over the pot.

"Go upstairs and see your wife," spoke Red suddenly towards Alex, not bothering looking up from the stove. "I'll bring it up when I am done."

Alex couldn't help but feel like a child who was suddenly in the way or something as the Russian shooed her out of the kitchen. She sighed as she slowly walked away and headed upstairs. Maybe she would rest her eyes for a bit, she thought as she slowly walked up the stairs towards the landing.

The bedroom door was closed as she reached it and gently opened it being careful not to awaken Piper. Alex stood there in the threshold of the door, peering down onto the sleeping form of her wife for a moment before stepping further into the room.

She didn't bother to turn on any lights or anything as she made her way through the darkened bedroom and placed the water bottle she still held down onto the night stand. She didn't bother to get undressed out of her jeans as she pulled the covers down on her side of the bed and slowly got in.

Piper stirred out of her slumber as the mattress dipped underneath Alex's weight. The blonde's eyes fluttered open as she turned her head to look over at the brunette. Their eyes locked in the dark lighting of the bedroom. No one spoke a word as they just continued to look at each other and they didn't have to say anything, really.

Alex smiled at her wife before taking off her glasses and resting them on the nightstand beside the bottle of water. The only sounds that could be heard in the room was the ruffling of the sheets and the slight squeak of the mattress springs as Alex lay down in the bed, pulling Piper to her. She kissed the back of her wife's neck as her hands wrapped around her stomach, pressing her front to her backside.

Alex continued to kiss Piper's neck softly as she felt the baby move against her hands. She closed her eyes as she breathed in the scent of Piper's skin. It was nice to be home, she thought as a wave of comfort washed over her again.

This was were she belonged.

* * *

_October 2023_

"This is fucking crazy!" whispered Piper into Alex's ear.

"I know!" whispered back Alex with a wide grin on her face. There had been some crazy things she had done in her life but this defiantly felt like the craziest at the moment.

Her and Piper walked hand in hand out of the courtroom and into the hallway. It was official, they were finally married.

They had decided instead of having a lavish wedding and inviting all their friends and family to just elope and get married at the courthouse. They hadn't told anyone that they were going to do it, either.

Just Issy.

"I can't believe we are married," whispered Piper in disbelief as she locked eyes with Alex. Alex had only proposed to her in bed just a few days ago. Ever since then, everything had been a little crazy. Both hadn't wanted to wait to be married, especially now with the baby coming. So they had decided to take a couple days off work, tie the knot and fly down to the Caribbean. It was going to be a honeymoon/ family vacation. Issy was coming along with them.

"I love you," whispered Alex as she wrapped her arms around Piper's waist and pulled her close.

"I love you," whispered Piper as a wave of emotion came over her. She felt so happy at the moment as she cupped the sides of Alex's face and looked deeply into her eyes.

Alex was holding back her own tears as she gazed back at Piper. She was extremely happy at this moment too. She never thought of herself as the marrying type but here she was, married and she'd never felt better.

The couple shared a long passionate kiss as all the activity around them came to a stand still. At the moment it was just them and no one else.

Issy giggled as she stood by the couple and watched as they kissed. She had been their witness during the ceremony. She was thrilled that she had gotten to be part of their special day by being the only one, who knew that they were married. She was happy that they were married.

Alex was her new Momma.

She continued to allow for the couple to have their moment together for a few minutes longer before interrupting, she needed to go to the bathroom.

* * *

_April 2024_

"The washing machine broke again," explained Piper to Alex as they sat in bed, eating.

"That's just fucking great," replied Alex with annoyance. The washing machine which had come with the house was always breaking down it seemed. Cal had tried fixing it when he was here last but had broken again when Red had tried to do a load of laundry. "I'll look at it later."

"Why don't we just call someone?" asked Piper as she bit a piece of chicken and looked over at her wife. "Or better yet. Let's just buy a new one! It's like twenty years old."

Alex was silent for a moment as she stared at Piper. Where they really having this conversation she thought. Where they really having a conversation about the laundry machine at the moment? It wasn't that she was upset by this. It just felt so surreal that her and Piper were talking about something other then cancer or Issy at the moment.

"What?" asked Piper in confusion as she looked on at Alex, who was smiling. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," stated Alex. "It's just nice to talk about something other then...medical stuff." She didn't want to say the word cancer and pop the bubble of bliss currently over them. She down casted her eyes shyly for a moment before looking back up at Piper.

Piper's eyes were wide for a moment as she looked on at the brunette before her face broke out into a small smile. It was nice to talk about something other then medical stuff like Alex had said. In some strange way, things seemed to be going back to normal for them in away. Sure, Issy was still at the hospital but she was doing better. The doctor had told Piper she could bring her daughter home soon, which she was happy to hear. She missed seeing her little girl's face every day. She missed hearing her chatter and laughter through out the house.

"It is," she whispered as she slid her hand across the bed and reached out and interlaced her fingers with Alex's.

The couple didn't say anything for a moment as they enjoyed the silence and continued to look at one another. After everything that had happened, they finally felt they were in a good place in their marriage. It was no longer such a struggle, it seemed.

"So, are you?" asked Piper.

"Are what?" asked Alex in confusion.

"Are you going to call someone or fix it yourself?" Piper was just teasing her wife. She knew that Alex probably didn't want to fix it herself. She had already tried to fix it before but it'd obviously not worked.

"Why don't you fix it missy?" teased back Alex, her eyes gleamed with amusement. "You were in electrical...you must have learnt a few things."

"Yes, I was but you're forgetting that you are the laundry expert..."

Alex couldn't help but roll her eyes at what Piper had just said. "Come here you," she whispered as she pulled on Piper's hand, indicating her to come close.

Piper just laughed at Alex as she shook her head, "You come _here_! I'm the one that's pregnant!"

"Ok. Ok," stated Alex as she moved her empty plate to her side before crawling over to where Piper was seated against the headboard of the bed. Leaning forward, she captured her wife's lips into a kiss as she curled up beside her.

* * *

_October 2023_

Years ago, on Alex's prison bunk, Piper had asked her about the future.

Alex had joked about doing X on a beach in Cambodia with a butch of strangers in drag. She never given much thought about the future. She only thought a few days ahead at a time. And in Litchfield, she couldn't get passed the darkness in her head on most days, let alone when she got out of the joint. She still wasn't good at thinking about the future, but she didn't have too. She had all that she wanted right here in front of her. If she died tomorrow, which she really hoped she fucking didn't, she would die a very happy woman.

It wasn't a beach on Cambodia and there weren't any drugs involved. But if someone had told Alex her this would be her future, she would have laughed and told you, you were high.

For the scenario in Cambodia seemed more likeable to her at the time then were she was now.

Alex rolled onto her back and stared at the ring on her left hand. It glistened in the morning rays of light showering into the room from the window. She couldn't believe it. She was married. She was fucking married. And to top it all off, she was married to Piper.

She was Mrs. Piper Fucking Chapman.

Or, Piper was Mrs. Alex Fucking Vause.

She wasn't exactly sure yet what their titles were.

They hadn't decided yet who, or if they would take the each other's last name. The whole wedding had been a little spur of the moment to say the least.

A wide grin appeared on Alex's face as she continued to look at the thin gold band on her finger. Over the last eighteen months, there had been multiple times that she had felt so happy. But this, here, topped all of those times. Her heart felt like it was going to burst any moment.

She was so overjoyed.

"What are you smiling about?" asked Piper as she suddenly came into the bedroom. The blonde's hair was dishevelled still from last night's activities. She was dressed in one of the hotel robes. Her blue eyes gleamed as she came towards the bed.

"Nothing," murmured Alex as she sat up in the bed and locked eyes with Piper. "I just can't get over it."

"I know, me either," whispered Piper as she climbed in to the bed beside Alex and took her hand. She rubbed the pad of her thumb against Alex's wedding ring. She couldn't believe that they were married either. It felt so surreal to her. The last time, she remembered feeling so happy like this was when Issy had been born. Nothing would ever top the birth of her daughter, but this came pretty fucking close. For Piper was finally married to the love of her life.

A comforting silence fell over the two women as they looked down at their interlocked fingers for a moment.

"Come here," whispered Alex as she tugged on Piper's hand and looked up at her face.

A smile appeared on Piper's face as she locked eyes with Alex. She looked beautiful, she thought. More beautiful than the day they had met, twenty years ago to the date.

Neither spoke another word as their lips met in a tender kiss.

* * *

Thanks for reading and please review!

I will be posting the rest later.

Julie


	18. Chapter 17

Do not own Orange Is the New Black or any of the characters.

I'm sorry if the medical stuff is off a bit. I am no doctor, but tried to make it as accurate as possible from what I've read but I know it's not the most realistic outcome. Usually, organ donation can't happen when someone is still undergoing cancer treatment, but the first chapter was written before I knew that. So I bend a few things to fit with the story line.

Just a heads up!

* * *

**Overcast**

_**Chapter 17**_

_Donor_

_April 2024_

Alex nervously sat on the edge of the exam table while she waited for the doctor to come in. Her legs shook slightly in anticipation on what the doctor would tell her. They'd just finished asking about her medical history and had done a complete physical.

She was in the process of becoming a donor hopefully for Issy. It was still early but after bringing up the topic with Piper and telling her how she wanted to give Issy her kidney, it was finally happening. Piper had been sceptical about Alex being a donor. Not because she didn't want her wife to give her kidney to her daughter. Just that it was a serious operation and didn't want to take the risk of losing Alex.

After discussing it further and bringing it up with Issy's doctor. They had taken Alex's blood, finding out her blood type, antigen match, and cross match. That had been a couple of days ago now. The results had come back good. She was a match for Issy. She was now in the next process of becoming a donor for her stepdaughter. Alex had already met with a living donor nurse coordinator to discuss these results and the donation process further.

Alex chewed on her bottom lip as her eyes swept around the room. It felt kind of weird to be in a room that wasn't covered with brightly colourful wallpaper. This exam room was white, cold and sterile feeling. It was much different from the rooms on the paediatrics wing.

The brunette continued to sit there in the thin paper hospital gown for a few moments longer before the room door opened and the doctor appeared. This doctor was a special doctor ,who dealt specifically with transplants. She smiled at Alex as she entered back into the room with Alex's chart in hand.

She tried to smile back at the doctor but failed to do so. She was too nervous that something had showed up during her examination that would make her not suitable to donate. She knew she wasn't Issy's only hope at getting a donor. That little girl had tons of other family members and friends who were willing to donate, but Alex wanted it to be her.

"So is everything okay?" asked Alex as she gained her voice and looked over at the doctor.

The doctor once again smiled at Alex in response to this, "Everything looks good. All your test results came back well. You are in excellent health for some one of your age and considering your past with substance abuse."

Alex felt her cheeks flush slightly at the doctor's mention of her substance abuse. She was ashamed about her past with drugs. It had been almost twenty years ago now, but those had been some of the darkest days of her life.

"What's next then?" asked Alex after a moment had passed.

"We'll take you down to get a series of X-rays and a CT scan to further examine your kidneys and other organs to make sure they are in healthy condition," explained the doctor. "You will also undergo a psychosocial evaluation and meet with the surgeon."

Alex nodded her head slowly in understanding to all this.

* * *

_November 2023_

"So what's the big annoyance?" asked Nicky towards her two good friends as they sat across from her and Lorna at the table. They were out on a double date at the moment.

Alex and Piper had just gotten back from their trip and had invited their friends out for the night.

They had Red babysitting both Luca and Issy while the couple enjoyed some time together.

It had been a while since they had hung out just the four of them like this.

Nicky continued to look between the couple, waiting for one of them to drop the bomb. She could sense something was going on between them. They looked way too fucking happy at the moment, she thought as she took in their sun-kissed faces. They were practically glowing and she assumed it wasn't because of too much sun exposure.

Something else was going on.

Alex and Piper were silent for a moment as they shared a look with one another. The whole reason they had invited the couple out was to tell them that they were married. They just hadn't expected Nicky to out them so soon into the night.

"We got married," stated Alex as a wide grin spread across her face. There was no point in keeping it a secret any longer.

"No shit!?"

"OH MY GOD!" squeaked Lorna as her hands flew to her face in surprise.

"We're married!" stated Alex again as both her and Piper held up their left hands and showed off the matching gold wedding bands they each wore.

"Fuck! When did this all happen?" asked Nicky in astonishment as her eyes danced between Alex and Piper's faces.

"Um, last week!" explained Piper as she caught Alex's eye and smiled. She still couldn't believe it herself either that she was married to Alex Vause.

"I didn't even know you guys were thinking about marriage," Lorna still couldn't get over it. Piper had told her months ago that her and Alex weren't thinking about anything like that. That they were just taking everything as it came, day by day.

"Well..." Piper's voice trailed off as she once again looked over at Alex. They hadn't planned on telling anyone about the baby until she got passed the first trimester and told Issy first. However, she knew that they wouldn't be able to keep it between them much longer.

"I thought we were going to wait," whispered Alex into Piper's ear. Her green eyes pierced into her wife's, studying her for a moment.

"I dunno," whispered back Piper with a shrug. "They are going to find out soon. We might as well tell them..."

Alex was silent for a moment as she continued to look at Piper, "It's up to you."

Red already knew that they were pregnant and it would only be a matter of time before everyone else knew. It had been Piper's idea in the first place to keep the pregnancy a secret. Alex was fine if her wife wanted to wait until she was officially done her first trimester or tell everyone now.

"I want to tell," whispered back Piper as a small smile spread across her features. A wave of excitement suddenly washed through her as she leaned in and kissed Alex on the lips before turning back to their friends.

"What were you two whispering about?" asked Lorna, her eyes gleaming with amusement. She could sense that something big was going to happen as she waited for Piper to go on.

"Well, to answer your previous question, Lorna. Marriage didn't become a subject of discussion until we got pregnant!" Piper couldn't help but let her happiness shine through as she spoke these words. Just like marriage, she couldn't believe she was pregnant either...again.

Alex reached out underneath the table and took Piper's hand, giving it a squeeze. The couple again shared a looked before looking back at their friends.

"Did you just say you're fucking pregnant!?" Nicky leaned back against her seat and studied the couple. This was defiantly the first time she was hearing pregnancy mixed in with the two of them.

Both Piper and Alex nodded their heads in response to this. "We are!"

Nicky let out a loud whistle noise before congratulating the couple. She was truly happy for them. They had been through a lot of shit in the years she had known them and it was nice to see them finally getting their silver lining.

Lorna squealed once again with glee as she clapped her hands loudly together at hearing this news.

"When did this all happen?" asked Lorna, leaning in to the table. Her eyes were bright as she looked at them.

"Um...July?...August..."Alex looked over at Piper to confirm this. She couldn't remember exactly when they had started to try for a baby.

"August," confirmed Piper. "We conceived in early August."

"So your what like three months pregnant?" asked Nicky as she took a sip from her drink and wrapped her arm around Lorna's shoulder.

"Yeah...just about thirteen weeks," stated Piper proudly.

"So there is going to be another Chapman running around here then pretty soon, uh?" Nicky wagged her eyebrows with amusement at Alex. "Are you ready Vause?"

"Well, actually..."Alex's voice trailed off as she once again looked at Piper.

"It's going to be a Vause this time!" finished off Piper with a grin.

"A Vause?!"

"We talked a lot about it...and we decided to use Alex's egg..." Piper squeezed Alex's hand underneath the table as she caught her eye once again. It had taken some arm twisting but Alex had finally agreed to be Piper's egg donor. It's what she had wanted most, to carry Alex's baby.

xxx

Piper moaned as she felt another wave of nausea come over her. She hated this part of being pregnant, the 24 hours morning sickness.

It was much later on in the night and they were back at the apartment. Dinner had been fun with hanging out with Lorna and Nicky like old times. Piper had managed to keep her dinner down through out the meal until now.

She rested her cheek against the rim of the toilet bowl as she squeezed her eyes shut. She was hoping that the nausea would pass very soon. She just wanted to go back to bed.

"Are you okay?" asked Alex out of concern and she leaned down and brushed the hairs off of her wife's face. "Do you want water or something? I think we have ginger ale in the fridge..."

"Nooo..." murmured Piper, not bothering to open her eyes. She didn't want water or anything to drink. She just wanted this sickening feeling to go away.

Alex didn't say anything else as she knelt down beside Piper and continued to stroke the back of her hair. This was becoming a usual position for them. Piper's sickness seemed to hit her worse in the middle of the night. Alex found this ironic. She didn't know why they called it morning sickness if it really could occur whenever in the day.

xxx

"I'm going to be a sister!"

"Yes, you are baby," replied Piper with a smile towards Issy.

It was the next morning and they'd finally decided to tell Issy that Piper was pregnant.

Issy, who was seated on the couch looked between Piper and Alex and back. She was ecstatic to hear that she was going to be a big sister again.

"Do you have any questions?" asked Alex towards the little girl. Her and Piper had worried slightly that Issy would take the news badly about the baby but she had taken it pretty well.

"Is it a boy or a girl?" asked the six year old as she looked between her stepmother and mother.

"We don't know that yet," explained Alex as she looked briefly over at Piper. "It's too early to tell."

"Oh!" replied Issy disappointedly. "Well, I hope it's a girl. I want a little sister."

"We'll see what we can do," stated Piper as she looked over at Alex as this and caught her eye. The brunette winked at her as they exchanged a look before returning their attention back onto Issy.

"Do you have any other questions?" asked Piper towards her daughter. They had already had the discussion on where babies came from when Lorna had gotten pregnant with Luca. Before that Issy had known that it took a mommy and daddy to create a baby. "Like how mommy got pregnant with Alex's baby?"

"I know how Mommy got pregnant!" replied Issy firmly. "She went to the doctor and they put the baby inside your tummy."

When Lorna had gotten pregnant, they had explained to Issy that Lorna had gone to the doctor and they had done a special processor on her to create a baby in her tummy without the use of a daddy.

"That's right!" spoke Piper with a slight smile.

"Just like Auntie Lorna did!" added Issy with a smile.

* * *

_April 2024_

It was a couple of days later as Alex took the seat opposite of Issy. They were at a Dairy Queen at the moment.

Issy had finally been released from the hospital and Alex was treating her stepdaughter out to ice-cream. There was something big she needed to tell the six year old. After all her testing and scans and evaluations, Alex had gotten the clear to be a donor for Issy.

Alex wanted to be the one to tell the little girl that she was going to be giving her a kidney. They still weren't sure when it would happen, the transplant. Usually these things took time, but everything had happened pretty quickly in Alex's case. Issy, who was still doing well and was on her way to recovery, the doctor thought was strong enough to be able to receive the kidney no problem. Usually, someone who was undergoing treatment for cancer wasn't allowed to have a donation or sorts due to the medication that needed to be taken to prevent the body from rejecting the organ. It had something to do with the immune system, but Issy was showing no signs of the cancer in her body anymore. The doctors continued to do scans and tests every time she received chemo, but nothing had showed up. She was in away cancer free, which was a miracle because just over a month ago, the little girl had been fighting practically for her life. But you wouldn't know that now as she laughed and ate her ice cream, except for her bald head. She was suppose to receive her last round of chemo in May and some time after that, they were talking about doing the transplant.

Alex smiled at the little girl as she caught her eye. It was the middle afternoon and the place was pretty quiet.

The two of them eat their chocolate dipped cones for a moment in silence before Alex began to explain why she had brought Issy here.

"Issy, you know how they took out your kidneys," she began to explain slowly as she licked at her cone.

"Mmhm," murmured Issy in reply through a mouthful of ice-cream as her brown eyes looked up at Alex. "They took out all the bad stuff," she stated after swallowing.

"That's right...they took out all the bad stuff, the cancer," continued on Alex to her stepdaughter. Piper had wanted to come with Alex but Alex needed to do this on her own, she thought.

"But I still need a kidney," added Issy and she continued to look at Alex.

"Well...how would you like it, if I gave you my kidney?" Alex had abandoned her ice-cream at this, as her green eyes continued to search the little girl's face. Issy only knew that she was on a list waiting for one. They hadn't told her that Larry had tried to be a donor but he wasn't a good blood match. Larry was blood type AB and could only donate to AB recipients but Issy was blood type B. Alex however, was blood type O and could donate to any blood type.

Issy looked puzzled at hearing this, "But you need your kidney."

"No, I don't. I've got two of them kid. And I want to give one to you..." Alex leaned forward in her seat, reaching out and touching Issy on the hand.

Issy was quiet for a moment as she ate her ice-cream and pondered what she had just been told.

"But why?" she asked.

A grin of sorts spread across Alex's face at hearing this. She loved how Issy was questioning her on why she wanted to give her, her kidney. She was defiantly a miniature Piper, always questioning things, she thought.

"Because, I love you kid...and that's what we do for the people we love."

Issy's face which was covered in chocolate broke out into a smile at hearing this, "You give them your kidney!"

Alex let out a raspy chuckle at hearing this, "Yeah, you do."

"I love you too, Momma!" whispered Issy as her eyes pierced into Alex's. She didn't exactly know how this donation thing would work or how they would give her Alex's kidney, which was in her body at the moment, but she figured it was a big deal of sorts.

Alex felt her eyes welled up with tears at hearing this. It always made her emotional, in away to hear Issy tell her that she loved her.

* * *

Thanks for reading and please continue to review!

Only a few more chapters to go now.

Julie


	19. Chapter 18

Do not own Orange Is the New Black or any of the characters.

* * *

**Overcast**

_**Chapter 18**_

_Loved_

_May 2024_

Everything seemed to happen so quickly after Alex had become Issy's donor.

The doctor had wanted to wait until the little girl's last chemo treatment, which had been on the tenth of May. She'd originally was suppose to go up until July and get a full 28 weeks of treatment. However, Issy had gotten the thumbs up from the doctors.

She was in full remission now.

There was no traces of cancer anywhere through out her body. So they had decided to cut the chemo treatments short and proceed with the transplant.

And now here they were, ten days later, preparing for yet another surgery.

This time, however it wasn't to remove anything from Issy, but to put something in. She was to continue on dialysis after the transplant for a few weeks. In case, her body did reject Alex's kidney. However, that was the last thing they wanted to happen.

It was just Alex, Piper and Issy in the hospital room. Larry had just left with his family after saying good night to his daughter. Issy was suppose to stay in the hospital overnight before the surgery tomorrow morning. Even though, they were only in this room for one night, that hadn't stopped Piper from decorating the room with pictures again. She didn't want her daughter to feel lonely while here. She knew how much her little girl hated being in the hospital.

Piper was seated in the seat beside the hospital bed. She'd been off of bed rest for a couple of weeks now. Her blood pressure was still high, but the medication was helping it. Plus, the baby was full term now. Her due date was at the end of the month, on the 29th. That was just two weeks away. She hadn't been too happy that they were doing the transplant so close to her due date, but Alex would be in recovery by then and would be able to attend the birth.

It had taken a while but they were finally allowing for their friends and family to help out. Red was no longer living with them, but still dropped off food and groceries out of habit. Carol, Piper's mother had even mentioned to her daughter about moving in, once the baby was born. Piper knew that things would be hard at first with the baby and Alex not being able to be on her feet much after the surgery, but she thought she could manage it without her mother.

So the blonde told Carol no.

Issy smiled at Piper as she caught her eye.

Visiting hours were almost over and they would be leaving her soon. Issy was a little scared, but she knew there was nothing really to be scared about. Alex was going to give her a kidney and then she wouldn't have to be on medication any more. Well, she would always be on medication but she could take that at home now. She wouldn't have to come to the hospital so often anymore to get chemo or dialysis done. She was very happy to hear this.

Piper smiled back at her little girl. After five long months, Issy was finally getting better and she could finally relax, she felt. She didn't find her life was so out of her control anymore. Sure, she wouldn't have complete control over every little thing anymore but she finally felt her life was becoming her own again. She finally could see the sun through the massive grey clouds that had been looming over them for so long now.

Alex came up behind Piper and rested a hand on her shoulder. Piper glanced up at this and met her wife's eye. The couple exchanged a look with one another before returning their attention back onto the little girl.

No one spoke a word and they didn't have to.

There was a peacefulness about the silence in the room. It was comforting not to have to discuss or talk about anything, and just to feel each other presence.

Each other's love.

xxx

The room was dark except for the light that hung over the side of the bed. She was supposed to be sleeping...Tomorrow was a big day. But no matter how many times the nurse came in and told her to close her eyes, she couldn't.

Her eyes kept on fluttering open.

She couldn't sleep.

She wasn't exactly scared about tomorrow. She had already gone through surgery once before. It wasn't anything really to be scared about. It was just like going to sleep she found. There were a few nervous butterflies though fluttering about in her tummy, but she wasn't scared. Not like the boy who had shared the room with her last time. He had cried as they had taken him down to the Operation room.

No...Issy wasn't scared.

She just could never sleep when she was here. She hated the stiff mattress of the hospital bed. She hated the smell of the room and the constant activity coming from the hallway as people came and went- mostly the nurses with their squeaky running shoes.

Issy let out a deep breath as she sat up in the bed and crossed her legs. She was a little light-headed as her brown eyes looked around the room and at the pictures displayed on the walls. Mommy had said that decorating the room would make it more like home.

But this wasn't home, thought Issy to herself.

Home consisted of her own room which didn't have machines that hummed and beeped at all hours of the night. Well, there was the laundry machine at home that was really noisy, but Momma Alex was fixing that, or so she had said. Issy doubted that she had though.

Momma Alex and Mommy had been spending all their time with her, here. There was no way Momma Alex could've fixed the laundry machine when she was always here.

Everyone's attention had been put on her, lately.

Never before had she seen adults break down and cry until now. Yes, she had seen Mommy cry before, but not like this. She was always sad now. Which, Issy didn't like. Mommy had been _so_ happy before she had gotten sick. She had married Alex, and they were having a baby.

Everyone _had_ been happy.

But now everyone was sad. She had _even_ seen Auntie Nicky cry. She'd only ever seen her do that once before, but that's when Baby Luca had been born. Mommy had explained that those had been tears of joy for Auntie Nicky and Auntie Lorna because they were mommies now. Mommy said she had cried when she had been born too.

Baby Luca was cute, thought Issy.

He cried a lot, but that's what babies did. She didn't remember much of when Grayson and Hayden had been born- those were Daddy's other kids, her brothers. But she figured they must've cried lots too. They still cried sometimes. The only baby she could think of that didn't cry was Eli. She remembered the time that Mommy had watched him for Auntie Polly and Uncle Pete for the day, he had just slept and pooped.

And she figured that the baby that Mommy was carrying now in her stomach would cry too. She was most excited about this baby, though. For not only would it be living with them, but it was her sibling. And it was a girl!

Issy was tired of all the these boys. She was happy that it was a sister she was going to have- _a little sister_.

The six-year-old couldn't help but smile at the thought.

She had always wanted a little sister to play dress-up and such with. She was tired of playing those stinky boys games like power rangers and cars. She didn't mind getting dirty and such. Auntie Nicky had always taught her she could do whatever boys did. However, sometimes she liked to do what girls did, too. Mommy and Momma Alex tried their best to play with her. But grown ups weren't that good at playing, she found. Mommy never got the voices of characters right or understood the games she came up with.

And Momma Alex, she was still learning...but that was okay, thought Issy. She was good at other things like cooking, she made really good pancakes. Better then the ones that Auntie Red made, but don't tell her that! Auntie Red doesn't like to hear things like that. She takes pride in her cooking...and we wouldn't want to upset her, that's what Mommy tells her.

Momma Alex was also really good at telling stories and was a really good colourer!

She loved Momma Alex.

And Momma Alex _loved_ her.

You didn't _just_ give anyone you liked a kidney...you really had to _love_ them to give them your kidney. That's what love was, thought Issy. And that's what Momma Alex was doing for her.

Tomorrow, she would be giving Issy her kidney because she _loved_ her.

* * *

Thanks for reading and please review!

Two more chapters to go.

Julie


	20. Chapter 19

Do not own Orange Is the New Black or any of the characters.

* * *

**Overcast**

_**Chapter 19**_

_Great Timing_

_May 2024_

Piper listened to the sounds of running water coming from the bathroom as Alex took a shower. It was early in the morning and still dark outside. They were suppose to be leaving soon for the hospital. Their second home.

The transplant surgery was scheduled for 9 am. Neither her or Alex had gotten much sleep the night before. Piper was trying not to worry too much, but was finding it difficult. She knew she had friends to rely on in the hospital while Alex went into the OR, but she didn't know if she could handle being away from her. She couldn't help shake the feeling that something was going to happen. Alex was in good health she knew and all her organs were in great working order. It was just that...

The two people that she loved most in life were going to be in surgery at the same time.

This scared her.

However, Piper was trying not to let it show. Especially not in front of Alex. This wasn't the time to be selfish, she thought. Alex was the one who needed her at the moment. She was the one, going underneath the knife and losing one of her organs.

Not Piper.

The doctor had explained everything that was going to happen during the procedure. They were going to put Alex underneath a general anaesthesia and do a incision on her left side, where they would then removed her left kidney. The surgery was to take up to three hours. After the kidney was removed, it would then be taken to another OR where Issy would be waiting to receive it.

Piper took a seat on the edge of the bed, listening to the shower as a sudden pang of pain erupted in the middle of her stomach. It felt like someone had just suddenly squeezed her insides.

"AH!" she moaned out as her hands flew to her stomach. She stared down at it as the pain suddenly faded away. A feeling of panic suddenly came over her as her heart beat picked up slightly as she continued to eye her stomach. No, this couldn't be happening, she thought. It was too early. There was no way she could be going into labour now, she thought.

She knew it had only been a brief moment of pain and could be any thing really. She'd been having gas pains more recently, which was normal. But apart of her knew, it wasn't gas pains.

However, she quickly brushed the thoughts of labour away.

This was not a good day to be having a baby.

The blonde continued to gently rub her stomach as her breathing calmed down. It was nothing, she thought again to herself. Sure the baby had dropped within the last couple of days, but she still had another week or so to go. She couldn't be in labour. She wouldn't allow herself to go into labour.

This baby wouldn't be coming out until she told her, she could.

"Are you okay?" asked Alex as she suddenly came into the room with a towel wrapped around herself, and noticed her wife doing deep yoga breaths. Piper's eyes immediatly fluttered open and looked up at Alex.

"I'm fine," stated the blonde in a breezy tone. "Just practising..."

Alex continued to look at Piper sceptically for a moment before shrugging her shoulders and moving further into the room," Good. Because for a moment I thought you were in fucking labour and I don't need that."

Alex, of course was joking with Piper. This wouldn't be good timing for the baby to come now, she thought. Alex smirked at Piper before beginning to get dressed. She was surprisingly calm this morning. She'd thought she would be a lot more nervous than she was about the surgery. She hadn't slept much over the night but that was due, more to the fact that she hadn't been allowed to eat anything. Her empty stomach had kept her up most of the night. Plus, Piper hadn't been about to get comfortable in bed. So they'd kept each other company, watching late night TV.

She knew that her wife was nervous about what was to happen today with the kidney transplant the doctors and surgeons had confirmed it was a safe procedure and that there was really nothing to worry about.

Piper didn't say anything as she continued to sit on the bed, rubbing her stomach watching as Alex got dressed in a pair of sweat pants and hoodie. Her long hair was twisted up into a bun. She looked like she was staying home today and not going to the hospital to have one of her organs removed. The brunette smiled as she noticed her watching her.

"Are you sure you're okay?" asked Alex as she came over towards Piper and looked down at her with concern.

"I should be asking you that," whispered Piper in response as she met Alex's eye.

Alex gave Piper a small smile as she reach out and caressed her wife's face.

The couple continued to look at each other for a moment before Alex leaned down and captured Piper's mouth into a kiss.

* * *

_December 2023_

Snowflakes fell like fat, little pieces of white confetti. It was wet snow. The kind of snow one dreamt of as a kid. Not that fluffy cotton ball crap, but wet, heavy, packing snow.

The good kind.

It came down in pelts, painting everything in pure whiteness around the family of three as they made their way up the stairs of the house.

After coming back from their trip, they had started house hunting. They both wanted to live in or close to the city still. It hadn't taken them long to find the house of their dreams. It was located in Brooklyn in the same neighbourhood that Nicky and Lorna lived in. After seeing it for the first time, they had put in an offer and had gotten it.

Today was moving day.

"Come on kid!" cried out Alex from the top step towards Issy, who had stopped on the pathway to catch snowflakes. "It's freezing out here!"

Issy just ignored her stepmother as she stood with her head tilted back and mouth wide open. She held a box in her hands but she didn't seem to care at the moment that they were in the middle of moving. She was too busy catching the snowflakes that had just began to fall.

"Issy!" cried out Alex once again trying to gain her stepdaughter's attention. "You can catch snowflakes later!"

Issy giggled as she finally met Alex's eye and adjusted the box in her gloved hands.

"Come on kid," Alex couldn't help but grin at the little girl with her rosy cheeks and braids sticking out from underneath her wool hat. "It's cold out! You can play in the snow later."

Issy once again giggled at Alex before beginning to spin around in the falling snow and catching snowflakes again on her tongue.

Alex couldn't help but shake her head in disbelief at how much Issy was acting like Piper at the moment.

"It's a lost cause," spoke Piper as she took a step back out onto the porch and looked over at her daughter. "She loves the snow."

Alex glanced over her wife and smirked. "She's like her mother," she whispered before leaning forward and kissing Piper's mouth.

"Oh shut up!" Piper tried to be mad but knew it was the truth. Piper loved the snow just like her daughter did. The couple shared another brief kiss before pulling away. Alex then headed into the house with the box in her hands, leaving Piper to deal with the six year old.

"Issy! Come on!" cried out Piper, beckoning her daughter to come inside the house. They had a lot more boxes to move from the U-Haul they had rented.

* * *

_May 2024_

"I love you," whispered Piper tearfully as she leaned over the side of Alex's hospital bed and kissed her.

"I love you," whispered back Alex, reaching up and cupping Piper's cheek. She was about to be wheeled off to the OR. She knew that Piper was scared as she looked deeply into her eyes, but it really was going to be okay she thought. Her fingers gently caressed the skin of her cheek, trying to let her know that it was all going to be okay.

"I'll be here," whispered Piper as she placed her hand on top of Alex's. "when you get out."

"You better be," replied Alex with a smirk towards her wife.

The couple shared another kiss before it was time for Alex to go. She quickly said goodbye to Red and Nicky before pulling Piper down for another kiss. "I'll be okay," she whispered into her ear before finally allowing for the nurse to take her away in the bed to the elevators.

Piper allowed the tears to fall down her cheeks as she watched as Alex was wheeled off towards the elevators. Her heart was racing as a wave of nerves washed over her. She knew everything was going to be fine, but she wouldn't feel relieved until both Alex and Issy were out of surgery and safe. Until then, she knew she would be a bundle of nerves.

"Come on Chapman," whispered Nicky as she came up behind Piper and placed a hand on her shoulder. Both her and Red were at the hospital at the moment to support their friends.

Piper brushed the tears from her cheeks and nodded her head at Nicky. They still had to go see Issy. She wasn't to be admitted to the OR until another hour or so.

As Piper continued to compose herself and followed slowly behind Nicky and Red down the hallway towards the other set of elevators at the opposite end then Alex had gone off to, she felt another pang of pain. She immediatly stopped walking as the pain erupted from the bottom of her stomach and spread. She had been having these little pains more frequently since leaving the house that morning. They seemed to be getting longer and more closer together. Her hands went to her stomach as she squeezed her eyes shut and tried to breath through it.

Both Nicky and Red turned to look at Piper at this. "What's wrong?" asked Nicky as she took a step towards the blonde. She'd seen her like this before and she knew it could only mean one thing really.

"It's nothing," whispered Piper as the pain faded away and she met Nicky's eye. She could tell what she was thinking as she continued to study her.

"Do not tell me it's fucking gas..." half-joked Nicky with a slight smirk on her face. She was referring to the time Piper had been in labour with Issy and had thought her contractions were only gas pains.

"No, it's not gas pains," jumped in Red, with a very serious expression written across her face. She'd given birth to three boys, she knew a thing or two about labour pains.

The blonde glared between the two women. She was fine, she thought. Well, at least for a little while longer. If this labour was going to be anything like her first one, it would be a while before the baby came. She had been in labour with Issy for over ten hour or so. If this was going to be like that one, she had plenty of time before she needed to worry. However, the pains were getting more intense each time around it seemed. Her water hadn't broken yet though. That was a good thing at least, she thought.

"How long have these pains been going on for?" asked Red with concern.

"Not long," stated Piper. "It really is nothing." She knew she was lying through her teeth and they probably didn't believe a word she was saying, but her going into labour was the least of their worries at the moment.

Piper, at least needed to see Issy off to surgery first before admitting herself into the hospital. She rubbed her stomach slightly before beginning to walk past the duo of women and head towards the elevators.

She just wanted to see her daughter first before thinking about what these pains could mean.

xxx

Issy's hospital room was a blur of activity as the nurse tried to prep her for surgery.

It seemed like everyone that they knew was here in support. There was Polly with her loud family of boys. Then there was Piper's parents, Larry's parents, Naomi with the twins and then Larry himself. Lorna was also there with a sleeping Luca in his stroller. Piper couldn't help but feel touched that all these people had come to support her family. When she had first told everyone that Issy was going to have the transplant surgery, they had been thrilled and wanted to be there for her. And now here they all were.

Everyone had also been happy to hear that Alex was a match for Issy, even Larry. Of course, he'd been a little upset that he couldn't donate himself to his daughter. But was just as happy that Alex had turned out to be a match, despite their past history.

Piper tried to keep a bright smile on her face but the cramps kept on coming. They were about twenty minutes apart now. She couldn't help, but wince as another pain erupted just below her belly button and spread across her entire stomach to her back.

"What's wrong?" asked Polly, suddenly as she appeared by her side and noticed the distress look on the blonde's face.

"It's nothing," breathed Piper through her teeth. "The baby just kicking..."

"Bullshit," whispered Polly as she continued to look at her friend. Like Red, she could read labour pains from a mile away. "You're in fucking labour."

Piper just ignored Polly for a second as she let out a deep breath and waited for the pain to pass. Just as she was about to open her mouth and rebut what her friend was suggesting, Pete approached them.

"What's going on?" asked Pete as he looked between his wife and Piper and back. The Australian had a sleeping Eli on his shoulder. He could sense that there was some sort of tension between the two women.

Piper locked eyes with Polly, begging her not to spill the beans. She didn't need everyone to know that she might be in labour.

"It's nothing babe," stated Polly as she smiled a little too brightly at her husband. "Why don't you take the kids down to the cafeteria and get them something to eat...I'll meet you down there."

Pete nodded his head in understanding at his wife before gathering up their two other boys, Finn and Sebastian. Naomi decided to join him with the twins.

The room quieted down a notch or two in noise as they all left.

"Thanks," murmured Piper towards Polly in gratitude.

"It's nothing," shrugged Polly in response. "Pete wouldn't have figured it out anyways...he's useless when it comes to stuff like that. When I went in labour with Finn, he thought I was joking."

Piper smiled at hearing this story. However, her smile quickly faded as another pain erupted through her stomach. This one seemed to be more intense then the previous ones had been. Her hand gripped Polly's shoulder in support as she tried to breath through the pain. Maybe she was in labour, she thought.

"How long?" asked Polly after a few months had passed.

"Not long," replied Piper as her eyes scanned around the room. Larry and Nicky were talking and standing around Issy who was still being prepared for surgery by the nurse. "A few hours at most."

Polly didn't say anything right away as she nodded her head in understanding, "Well, you don't have fucking great timing. I must say."

"I know," whispered Piper in agreement. Her timing always seemed to suck when it came to going into labour.

xxx

"I'll see you soon," whispered Piper as she leaned forward and kissed Issy's on the forehead.

Issy was just about to go in for surgery. Alex's surgeon had already come out and told Piper everything was going well so far. There was still another two hours to go though until the operation would be complete.

"I'll see you soon," whispered back Issy as she looked up at her mother.

"I love you." Piper's hand caressed Issy's cheek as she continued to place kisses on her daughter's forehead. She was once again overcome with emotion of thinking about her daughter going off to surgery.

"I love you too," whispered Issy.

Piper continued to hover over her daughter for a few moments longer before taking a step back and allowing Larry to say his goodbyes.

She rubbed her stomach as a slight ache suddenly came over her again. After talking it over with Polly, she figured she most defiantly was in labour. The pains only kept on getting closer and closer, but her water had yet to break. She was trying not to worry that something else was wrong with the baby as the pain continued to get worse.

"You okay Chapman?" asked Nicky out of concern as the blonde came to stand beside her in the hallway.

"I think...I'm in labour," whispered Piper, making sure no over heard her.

"Ya think!" smirked Nicky, wagging her eyebrows at Piper.

Piper waited until Issy had been wheeled off towards the OR before finally going down to the maturity ward. She had both Nicky and Polly with her as she walked down the hallway towards the elevators. Piper's parents had wanted to come with but Polly said that she would come get them if needed. They weren't a hundred percent sure yet if the baby was on her way or not. So Red, Lorna, Larry, his parents and Piper's parents waited in the waiting room, while they headed to the maturity ward to get Piper check out.

Piper moaned out as she leaned against the wall of the elevator. Her body was defiantly trying to tell her something as another contraction tightened around her stomach. She let out a deep breath like she had been taught to do in her birthing classes.

"You really do have shitty timing when it comes to your kids," stated Polly as she pressed the button for the maternity ward and the doors pinged close behind them.

Piper just glared at the brunette at this. She was not in the joking mood at the moment.

"First with Issy being born in the middle of a black out at my Hampton house and now with this one coming when both Alex and Issy are in surgery!" Polly ignored the look on her friend's face as she continued on.

"Hey, at least we're in a hospital this time," added Nicky with a smirk.

"That's true!" agreed Polly. At least she wouldn't have to pay an expansive cleaning bill this time, she thought.

* * *

Thanks for reading.

Next chapter is the last.

Julie


	21. Chapter 20

Do not own Orange Is the New Black or any of the characters.

So, this is the last chapter.

Thanks to everyone who supported not only this story, but Snowflakes and Rainstorms as well. I know it hasn't been a very easy ride with me, but it's where I like to go with my writing. For the longest time, I wasn't going to do this third part. But that little girl kept on coming back to me and so, Overcast was born.

It defiantly wasn't easy to write and I know some people weren't for it at the beginning, but it's what felt right for me to do and where the characters needed to go, I guess...

Anyways, enjoy!

* * *

**Overcast**

_**Chapter 20**_

_Baby Girl Vause_

_May 2024_

"You're doing great, Piper!" spoke the nurse between Piper's legs. "Just one more push..."

Piper squeezed her eyes shut and grunted through the pain as she pushed with all her might. Even though it had been almost seven years since she had last given birth, she remembered the pain well. This time seemed to be a little easier though, maybe because she was at the hospital this time and not stuck in the middle of a black out like she'd been with Issy.

Plus, she'd only been in labour for a few hours now. With Issy it had been much longer than that.

Everything had happened pretty quickly after she had arrived on the maturity ward with Polly and Nicky. Her water had broken just as she was stepping off the elevator. She was soon then admitted into a room and checked out by a nurse. The doctor had been called but the baby seemed to have her own agenda and wasn't waiting around.

Piper's cervix had been dilated already at 9cms when the nurse had first check her out and it hadn't taken long before it had reached 10. She'd now been pushing for over an hour now.

The baby was defiantly on her way.

Piper cried out slightly as she felt the baby crown and stretch her, suddenly.

"That's great Piper!" encouraged the nurse once again towards Piper. "I see her head...just one more push..."

Piper took a deep breath through her nose before leaning forward once again and pushing with all her energy and strength.

The room suddenly filled with the piercing sounds of the baby's cries as she came into the world, pushing sand from her lungs.

Piper collapsed against the pillow of the bed as exhaustion set in. She could hear the baby wailing loudly as the nurse picked her up and lay her suddenly on her chest.

"Congratulations, Pipes!" whispered Polly tearfully into her ear.

However, Piper paid no attention to her friend as her eyes opened and looked on at the little being on her. Tears filled her eyes as her hands immediately reach out for her little girl. She was in awe with this beautiful creature, who continued to cry against her.

She had so much hair, she noted as she reached out and gently stoked the matted black tuffs of curls that covered the baby's head.

"Hello beautiful," she whispered as she continued to look at her daughter in adoration. She loved her so much already, she thought. She couldn't wait for Alex to meet her. Luckily Nicky had been recording the whole birth on her phone so that when Alex woke up, she could see the birth of their daughter. She knew her wife would be pissed that she'd not been there for Piper, but it wasn't anyone's fault really that the baby had decided to come now of all times.

As mother and daughter continued to bond, Polly had gotten to cut the umbilical cord. Piper hadn't mind allowing her friend to do so. She was too absorbed in admiring her newborn daughter.

The blonde held the baby gently in her arms as the nurse clamped the stump of the cord after it had been snipped. The baby had settled down now and only a soft cooing noise could be heard coming from her mouth. Piper couldn't help, but be reminded of a baby bird at the sounds coming from her daughter.

"Be careful," whispered Piper as a nurse took the baby from her to be cleaned off.

The nurse gave Piper a reassuring smile that she would be extremely careful with her precious bundle.

Her arms ached immediatly for her daughter as soon as she was taken from her. She could hear her begin to wail yet again at the nurse began to clean her off and weigh her. She tried to keep an eye on the baby but the nurse was standing in the way. The blonde couldn't help but sigh in frustration at this. She wanted to see her little girl.

"Okay, Momma, I know you want your little girl but she's in good hands," stated the head nurse, who had helped deliver the baby. She touched Piper gently on the ankles, indicating for her to open her legs again.

"You can have her back in a moment. You need to push out the after birth still."

Piper nodded her head grimily at the nurse before once again beginning to push.

xxx

Alex was extremely groggy as her eyes slowly opened and stared up at the ceiling of the hospital room she was in.

At first she didn't know where she was as she tried to take in her surroundings. She tried to move but pain shot suddenly through her body in protest. She'd never remembered feeling so uncomfortable than she did at this very moment. Her eyes lids grew heavy again as she rested her head back against the pillow. There was an oxygen mask covering her nose and mouth.

As she was about to close her eyes again, she heard someone enter the room.

"You're awake," stated unfamiliar voice towards her.

Alex could barely see as a sudden face hovered over her own. It was one of the nurse coming to check up on her. The brunette was quiet as the nurse checked her vital signs and wrote something down in her chart.

"Are you in any pain or discomfort?" asked the nurse.

Alex blinked and tried to focus her eyes on the nurse as she asked this question. She shook her head slightly. Alex was in a little discomfort but it wasn't much.

The nurse frowned as she continued to study Alex's face for a moment. She needed to hear a proper answer from Alex, so she asked the question again.

"Are you in any discomfort?"

The brunette once again shook her head at this and murmured a slight no from the mask. She was however, very tired at the moment. She just wished to be left alone, she thought as the nurse continued to ask her questions about her pain levels. Alex had said she was about a six on the pain scale.

The nurse had then soon left and come back into the room with a bag of medication that she had then attached to the IV line in Alex's hand. It was a mild pain medication that would help ease her pain away.

Alex waited for the nurse to leave again before trying to close her eyes again. She was more aware now on where she was and why she was there. She wondered were Piper and the others were. She wondered if something had gone wrong suddenly with the surgery. But before she could worry any further, Red came into the recovery room.

The Russian woman smiled as she locked eyes with Alex.

"Welcome back, Vause!" stated Red warmly as she came to stand beside the bed and looked down at the brunette.

Alex stared up at Red in puzzlement. Where the hell was Piper? she thought. Her eyebrows were fussed together in confusion as she just stared at the older woman before reaching up with a shaky hand and removed the oxygen mask from her mouth.

"Where's Piper?" she asked as her eyes shifted slightly away from Red towards the door, in hopes that Piper would suddenly appear. "Is she on her way...?"

Red's face grew very serious as she continued to look at Alex for a moment. This wasn't going to be easy to tell Alex, she thought.

Noting the look on the Russian woman's face, panic began to set in on where her wife was. Had something happened with the baby? Had something happened to Issy? Question after question popped into Alex's mind on what was going on.

"What happened?" she asked as she suddenly sat up, ignoring the sudden protest of her body. She didn't care if she pulled her stitches from the surgery or anything. All that she cared about at the moment was her wife and step daughter.

"Take it easy," stated Red firmly as she placed a hand on Alex's shoulder and tried to get her to lie back down on the bed. "You just had major surgery and one of your organs removed."

"Where's Piper?!" asked Alex, her eyes blazing up into Red. She wanted answers and she wanted them now.

"She's here," explained Red slowly. "...at the hospital."

Alex continued to look at Red, waiting for her to explain more. Of course, Piper was here at the hospital, where else would she be? she thought. But that was not what Alex meant by where Piper was. She wanted to know why her wife wasn't here right now beside her bed like she had promised she would be after the surgery.

"After you went into surgery, she'd gone into labour."

"She's in fucking labour!?" cried out Alex in shock. This was not how it was suppose to go, she thought. She was suppose to be with Piper, couching her and shit. They had taken those Lamaze classes for that very reason. The baby wasn't due for another week or so. It was too early for this to happen, she thought.

"She already had the baby," whispered Red as she explained to Alex, how Piper had given birth to a healthy baby girl an half an hour ago now.

"Are you _fucking_ kidding me?!"

Alex's green eyes suddenly filled with tears as reality set in for her. She had missed the birth of her daughter. Not only had she failed Piper by not being there for her but she had failed her daughter too. She pursed her lips as she turned her head against the pillow and looked away from Red. Her daughter was already a half-an-hour old and she was already abandoning her. This was not how she imaged her daughter's first few hours to go.

She was suppose to be there for both of them.

She was already a terrible mother, thought Alex bitterly to herself.

A small cry escaped from her lips as the tears began to fall down her cheeks. She hated herself for missing what was suppose to be the most important day of her life. She could feel Red stroking her hair but she did not acknowledge the older woman.

"Nicky recorded the birth..." whispered Red softly in her accent towards Alex. She knew that Alex was upset about missing the birth of her daughter, that was understandable. But she shouldn't kick herself too much...she had been doing something very important while her daughter had come into the world. She had been unselfishly giving her kidney to a little girl who desperately needed it. Piper, she was sure wasn't mad at her wife for missing the birth of their daughter for she'd been saving their other daughter in the process.

Alex roughly brushed away the tears from her eyes as she turned her head to see Red pull out a phone from her pocket.

A moment later she was handing her the phone, were a video began to play on the screen. Alex didn't say a word as she focused her eyes as best as she could on the screen. It was a little blurry as she wasn't wearing her glasses, but she could still make out what was going on.

She found herself holding her breath as she watched in amazement as Piper gave birth to their daughter. A whole new set of tears began to welled up in her green eyes as she heard the cries of the baby for the first time. She was at a lost for words as the picture came to focus on the baby as it lay on Piper's chest.

She was beautiful, thought Alex as the video stopped and the tiny face of the baby stayed frozen on the screen.

"Congratulations, Vause" spoke Red as she smiled down at Alex who had began to watch the video again. "You're a mother now."

xxx

After being checked out by the doctor and asking yet again another series of questions on her comfort levels, Alex finally got to meet her daughter.

Alex was sitting up comfortably in the hospital bed, the pain medication had finally kicked in and she wasn't feeling as groggy as she had been when she had first woken up. She was feeling almost like her normal self again, except for the catheter which had been inserted to her bladder during the surgery.

But that was the last thing on her mind as the door to the room opened and Piper was wheeled inside.

Alex, who was wearing her glasses again, immediatly locked eyes with her wife.

Piper smiled broadly back at her as Nicky wheeled her to the side of Alex's bed.

"Hey," whispered Piper towards her wife.

"Hey," whispered back Alex as a small smile spread across her features.

The couple continued to stare deeply at each other for a moment. They both didn't know really what to say to each other. The last time they'd seen each other had just been before Alex had been taken in for surgery. So much had happened since then in such a short amount of time. There was another member in their family.

Tears immediatly welled up in Alex's eyes as she stared at Piper. She was suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. This woman was amazing she thought. She loved her more than ever as she continued to take in the beauty of her wife. Even after giving birth to a new life, she still managed to look beautiful.

"Hey," whispered Piper, so that only Alex could hear her. There was a slight wrinkle in her forehead as she looked on at her wife with concern. She had never seen Alex like this before, for a moment she thought that she was in pain of some sort. Piper,who held the baby in the crook of her arm, reached out with her free hand and cupped the side of Alex's face, caressing the skin with her finger tips.

The couple was quiet for a second longer before Piper stood up carefully from the wheelchair. She was suppose to be taking it easy for, less than an hour ago she had given birth. But she could manage, she thought.

"Meet your daughter," she whispered as she held the sleeping infant out towards Alex.

Alex's eyes immediatly shifted from Piper and down onto the bundle in her arms. She could once again feel the tears fill her eyes as she took in the sight of her daughter. She was even more beautiful in person than she had been in the video, she thought as she glazed down lovingly at the infant. The baby's eyes were closed shut and her lips slightly open as she slept. She was swaddled in a white blanket and had a pink hat on her head. There was a dark curl, peaking out from underneath it.

"Hi," whispered Alex shyly as she reached out and carefully ran a finger along the side of the baby's face. She couldn't believe how small and delicate her features were. She had never seen anything so precious in her life, she thought.

"Do you want to hold her?" asked Piper as she looked on at Alex.

Alex nodded her head in agreement at this. She would like very much to hold the baby, she thought. She was a little nervous to do so, though. She hadn't held a newborn since Luca had been born.

Piper smiled reassuringly at her wife as she carefully transported the infant from her arms to Alex's. Alex made sure to carefully support the baby head and neck, holding her kinda like a football.

"She's so fucking tiny," whispered Alex as she glanced down once again at the peaceful face of the baby.

"Alex, language," whispered Piper in warning to her wife. Not even a day old yet and she'd already heard her first swear word. Piper couldn't help, but smile slightly at this thought.

"She can't understand," whispered Alex as she looked up at Piper.

Piper just rolled her eyes at Alex. She tried to be mad but couldn't be. There were worse things that Alex could do at the moment. She was right, the baby couldn't understand what she'd just said and Alex had just given Issy her kidney. She could swear all she wanted, Piper thought as she looked on at her wife.

The couple was quiet for a moment as they both looked down with love towards the baby.

"Thank you," whispered Piper as she leaned forward and kissed Alex on the forehead. She hadn't gotten to tell her how thankful she was for what she had just done for Issy.

Alex looked up at Piper again. There was puzzlement in her eyes, "Why are you thanking me? I didn't do anything...I am the one who should be apologizing. I missed the birth of our daughter."

"It's okay..."whispered Piper as she reached out and caressed the side of her wife's face. "You were doing something...just as important..."

Alex frowned slightly at this. She knew she had been in the middle of surgery when the baby had been born, but she still couldn't help but feel guilty over it. "Why didn't you tell me you were in labour before the surgery...we could've postponed it until the baby came..."

"I thought it was Braxton's hicks," replied Piper as she continued to caress the side of Alex's face and it was the truth. She hadn't been expecting for the baby to come earlier and so fast. "Plus, Issy needed you."

Alex nodded her head slowly at Piper, leaning forward she kissed her briskly on the lips. "Well, next time...tell me."

"Next time!?" cried Piper in surprise. "There's going to be a next time?" That was news to her. She hadn't been aware that there was going to be another time.

Alex just smirked and winked playfully at her wife, "If you're lucky, kid..."

Piper couldn't help but laugh at what Alex was applying. The two women looked at each other for a second later before drifting their attention back onto the newest member of their family.

Alex could feel her heart swelling with love and happiness as she felt the warmth of the baby against her. She had never thought she could love anything so much than she did at that very moment. Tears fell slowly down her cheeks as she leaned down and kissed the back's crown before looking up at Piper.

Piper once again smiled at her wife. She knew how she felt, for she was feeling the exact same way.

"I love you," whispered a very emotional Alex.

"I love you," whispered back Piper as she reached out and cupped the side of Alex's face. The couple then shared a tender kiss before breaking apart and resting their foreheads together, staring deeply into one another eyes.

At that moment, it was just the two of them and the newest addition to their family. Nicky and Red had left long ago to give the couple privacy as they bonded over their baby girl.

xxx

"She needs a name," whispered Piper towards Alex.

The baby was fast asleep between them on the bed. They weren't really allowed to be like this but none of the nurses had the heart to tell them off. Everyone knew about their current situation as they waited for Issy to get out of surgery.

Alex was silent as she continued to look at her daughter. She knew it was too early to tell who she looked like but she couldn't help but think of how much she looked like her mom, already. The baby had been born with thick curly dark hair like her mom had and blue eyes. Piper had said that her eyes would probably chance over time. That all babies were born with blue eyes,but Alex couldn't help but think they would stay blue.

The couple hadn't talked much about baby names since January really but they needed a name for her. Alex, always had one name at the back of her mind, but she'd never shared it with Piper. However, as she continued to look down at the sleeping newborn, the name kept on coming up in her head.

"Tessa," she whispered.

"Tessa?"

"Tessa," whispered Alex as she looked up and met Piper's eye.

"Tessa." Echoed Piper as she tested the name out on her lips before glancing down at baby, "Tessa...Tess."

She liked it. It was not only sweet and simple sounding, but strong too. It had that vintage vibe she knew that Alex had been looking for.

The couple held each other's eyes for a second before Piper was leaning forward over the baby and kissing her crown,"Welcome to the world, Tessa Suzanne Vause."

They'd decided long ago to use Alex's mother name as the baby's middle name.

Alex smiled at her wife at this. Despite the soreness of her body from the surgery, she leaned forwarded, being careful not to crush the baby and kissed Piper tenderly on the lips.

"Tessa Suzanne Vause-_Chapman_," corrected Alex as she pulled away. Piper and her had kept their own last names when they tied the knot. However, this baby was a part of both of them, she thought. She should have both of their names.

xxx

"Can I hold her?" asked Issy who was propped up with pillows on the bed.

It was the next day and Issy was finally getting to meet her little sister. She was very excited, to say the least. She'd wanted to meet her yesterday, as soon as Mommy had her about Tess being born. But she'd not been allowed too. She had been in ICU then and they hadn't wanted to risk getting either her or the baby sick.

Issy was not only more alert today but was out of ICU and back in her hospital room from the previous night. The doctors had just finished doing a series of tests, checking her vitals and such. Everything was looking good so far. Alex's kidney already seemed to be working in Issy's body. She'd successfully made urine early that morning, which had thrilled the nurses for some reason. Issy didn't really understand why that was though. What was so exciting about pee?

She was still being closely monitored and would be for the next several days, but everything was going the way it should be.

"You've to be careful with her," whispered Piper as she lifted Tessa from the car seat and began to make her way over to Issy. The blonde had been released from the hospital early that morning. Both her and the baby were in good health.

"I will," replied Issy towards Piper before taking the baby in her arms. Issy held her baby sister like her Mommy showed her too, being careful of her neck and head.

Tessa squirmed and whimpered slightly in Issy's arms, but soon settled down after a moment.

Piper, who was still very much hormonal, felt her eyes fill with tears as her looked on at her two girls.

She couldn't believe that the day had finally come.

A grin spread across the blonde's features as she continued to stand by the bed, glazing down at Issy and Tessa. It was a beautiful sight, she thought. Tessa's eyes were open and looking up at Issy. She was too young to see anything but shadows. However, Piper couldn't help but think that Tessa knew who Issy was.

"Mommy, why are you crying?" asked Issy as she suddenly looked up at Piper in worry.

"She's just really happy," replied Alex. She was on the other side of the hospital bed in a wheel chair. She wasn't allowed to over exhaust herself and had been told stay off her feet as much as possible for the next couple of days. She wasn't going to be released from the hospital until tomorrow or so. The brunette reached out as best as she could and caressed the baby's cheek while she caught Piper's eye. She knew how her wife felt at the moment for she was feeling the same thing.

She was extremely happy to be seeing their two girls together.

"I'm really happy too," whispered Alex with a grin as she looked back on at Issy and Tess.

"Me too!" replied the little girl with a smile as she returned her attention back onto her little sister.

* * *

Thanks for reading.

Julie


End file.
